US2594398A - Selecting mechanism for color weft insertion - Google Patents

Description

April 1952 H. J. COOPER 2,594,398

' SELECTING MECHANISM FOR coLoR WEFT INSERTION Filed 001',- ll, 195 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 4 Inventor Henry James 60611.51- B gum am wum Attorney April 29, 1952 H. J. COOPER 2,594,398

SELECTING MECHANISM FOR COLOR WEFT INSERTION Filed Oct. ll. 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I nventor Henry James Cooker Attorney April 29, 1952 J. COOPER 2,594,398

SELECTING MECHANISM FOR COLOR WEFT INSERTIQN Filed Oct. 11, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Inventor Henry James Coolzer B JMJMLM SfiMJJmjsRav-LM Attorney Patented Apr. 29, 1952 SELECTING MEonANIsMmn CQLOR WEFT INSERTIQN: .1 y r on Henry J Cooper, Stcckport, England Application October 11 ,1950, Serial Nb; iisaeo In Great Britain octoberkl 1 949 l This invention relates to the supplying of weft to a warp in looms for weaving wherein shuttles travel continuously and without reversal of motion through a warp.

Inthe production of'some fabrics, changes in colour or kind of 'weft are effected in order to produce a, pattern or for some other purpose. To supplywefts of different colours or kinds in the correct order for supplying same to a warp in ordertoproduce a givenpattern, lengths of weft are takenin thecorrect order from stationary supplies'of weft of different colours and/or kinds andftransferred to the shuttles of the loom.- One method of transfer which can be employed consists in pro-winding lengths of weft orif-to holders and then transferring the prewound weft from the holders to the shuttles during the travel of the shuttles circularly, the holders having ends of the stationary supplies of weft pres'ented to them so that the ends can be caught'by the holders'and the holders can draw thedesired lengths of weft from the supplies for winding the said lengths into coils.

"According to the said invention a selecting mechanism'for'the presentation of wefts of the correct colours or kinds in sequence for trans ference in the correct order to shuttles in the s'upplying' of weft to a warp, has cams or stops actuated by wires connected, to slide bars having lugsfwnereby the slide bars'can be displaced by the actionbf lugs arranged along a helical line i on arotated cylinder, the'bars being oscillatably and "slidably" rnounted and supported in position for displacement, by levers having pins resting on intermittently rotated" drums or chains of cardsjfoperating alternately, holesbeing provided in" the drums or cardsto accommodate the pins where the cams or stops are to'remain inoperativeandthereby allow the respective levers to fall and allow the slide bars to fall, and lifting cams or plates being provided tolift the levers leaf; of the drums or cards before rotation of e l J 1' we. 7 The said selecting mechanism may be employed to shiftradially' guided feed strips individually, thesai'd stljips'being arrangedwhen advanced by theselecting mechanism to present the ends of stationary supplies of wefts of different colours and/or kinds to apparatus for replenishing the shuttles with weft; and the strips being projected individually-by impingement against" the said earnsfor stops 'according to their selection'so that the seleetedstrip is projected to a weft feed stationforfeeding the apparatus for replenishing the shuttles with weft.

The strips are preferably arranged in a pluralityof travelling-groups each of the individual strips of a group carrying a difierentone or more of the different wefts, each group arriving suecessively inthe vicinity of a weft feed station, and theselected strip of each group being pro- J'ected when its group arrives in the vicinity of the weft feed station-by impingement of a lever controlling the selected strip against acam or stop of 'the selecting mechanisms The cams or stops-of the selecting mechanism may be caught and held in" their operative positions by latches'whichslip under spring load into their holding positions and are disengaged by impingementagainst them of travelling parts.

In the more or less diagrammatic drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of a selecting mechanism. J Figurez is an end view thereof.

Figure 1 includes parts ofa-'device which can be controlled by the selecting mechanism, and "Figure 3 'is another side elevation ofthe' device and shows further parts thereof.'-

Figure' l'is anotherside elevation of the devic shownto assist in the explanation of its opera- Referring to the drawings, the selecting device shown therein consists of a frame I in which two drums-2 and '3 respectivelyare mounted in alignment for alternate intermittent rotation by toothed ratchet wheels 4 and 5 respectively and pawls 6 and 1 respectively. Holes are provided in' the drums 2 and 3 and cards of pattern chains 8 and 9 carried and driven by the drums iand 3. A series of levers l9 havingpins-H has one half oscillatably mounted at -22 above each--of the'drums 2' and 3; A driven drum l2-having two lifting cams M and I5 respectively which are staggered axially and'dispos'ed at opposite sides ofthe drum" I2, is provided to lift all the levers I Hi ofeach half of the series of levers -l0- alteris mountedabovethearms it to rotate continuous'ly and has pro'jecting noses'zfi 'distributed helically' along 'its periphery from end to end thereof. The pattern drums or card chains 8 and flare-fed one tooth alternately and those levers i8 which coact with the drum or card chain being fed are raised by respective cam l4 or l5 clear of that drum or card whilst it is being fed by rotation. After the said drum or card chain has stopped, the said levers |8 are released by the respective cam M or |5 ceasing to act on them. Where a pattern hole registers with a lever pin the lever pin I I drops into the hole and thereby allows that lever |8 to descend. The lever l8 thereby allows the arm l6 above it to swing down into a position where its lug I1 is not in the paths of the noses 26 and, therefore, the arm I6 is not slid along by any of the noses 26. Consequently the advancing cam or stop 28 connected to that arm l6 remains inoperative. At any place where there is no pattern hole, the pin H of the lever |8 above that place rests on the pattern drum or card and the lever -|8 there-- fore does not descend and the arm |6 above it cannot descend. The lug H of this arm It therefore remains in the path of one of the noses 26 which therefore slides that arm |6 along and operates the advancing cam or stop 28 connected to it. The weight of the parts connected to the arms H5, or springs 58 provided for the purpose, slide the arms |6 back into the initial position when the noses 26 ceases to act on their lugs IT. The roller 25 is fixed on a shaft 21 which is driven through gearing from the main shaft of the loom. The drum |2 is driven from 'the shaft 21 by a driving chain |3 running on a sprocket wheel 28 on the shaft 21 and a sprocket wheel 29 on the shaft 38 to which the drum l2 is fixed, the pawls 6 and 1 are operated by levers 3| pivoted at 32 and each having a nose 33 acted on by a different cam lug 34 on the roller 25 so as to be swung alternately in one direction. A compression spring 35 is provided in conjunction with each lever 3| to swing it back again after it has been swung by the respective lug 34.

It is to be understood that the hereinbefore described mechanism for selecting can be employed in conjunction with any means or apparatus or mechanisms for feeding weft to the unidirectionally travelling shuttles or the equivalent of a circular loom, whether said feeding includes presenting coiling and transferance of weft or not, and that I claim patent protection for the said mechanism, not only in conjunction with the said means or apparatus or mechanisms but also alone. For the purpose of explanation I have shown, by way of example only, a part of an apparatus which includes a device for presenting different stationary supplies of weft for 4 coiling into coils and transference of the coils to shuttles or the equivalent. The device has groups of feed strips 36, one group only being shown in the drawings. The strips of each group are arranged side by side and each of them is suspended by two pivotal links 31 from a block 38 which is vertically slidable. In the example shown, the group consists of two strips, but it is to be understood that there may be a larger number of strips provided in each group according to the number of different wefts to be dealt with, there being as many strips in each group as there are different wefts to be selected from. For each feed strip 36 there is a bellcrank lever 39 pivoted at 39a to the block 38 and having a laterally projecting stud 48 which slidably engages a vertical slot 4| in the feed strip.

When a cam or stop 28 has not been projected by the hereinbefore described selecting mechanism, the feed strip 36 identified with it remains a rear strip in said withdrawn position. If however a cam or stop 28 has been projected by the selecting mechanism, it is impinged against by the lever 39 as the block 38 carrying the associated feed lever 36 performs the last part of its vertical rise. Figures 1 and 3 show a cam or stop 28 acting on the lever 39 of the front feed strip 36 and thereby causing it to be projected. Figure 3 shows the withdrawn position of the cam or stop 28 which controls the rear feed strip 36. It will be noted that when in the withdrawn position, the stop 28 is clear from impingement by the rear lever 39 controlling the rear feed strip 36.

When a feed strip is projected, its projected end is in position at the transfer station where its weft can be picked up by the means or apparatus provided to replenish the shuttles or the equivalent with weft. The weft 42 drawn from a stationary supply passes through .an eye 43, Figure 1 provided on the feed strip 36 and then between a fixed jaw 44 and a movable jaw 45 also provided on the feed strip. The part of the weft which lies between the eye and the said jaws is that part which is gripped or caught by the said means or apparatus, for example, by a pair of jaws 41, 48 travelling through the gap between the said eye and the jaws 44, 45. Whilst the feed arm is in the withdrawn position, the weft is gripped between the jaws 44 and 45, but as the feed strip 33 is swung by means of the cam or stop 28 and lever 39 into its projected position, a lug 49 on one of the pivotal links 31 displaces a rod 58 which is slidable on the feed strip and is connected to the movable jaw, the consequent displacement of the rod 58 opening the movable jaw 45 against the action of a spring and thereby permitting that end of the weft which was held between the jaws 44 and 45 to be carried away from the feed strip by the moving jaws 41, 48, thus leaving the jaws 44, 4'5 empty. The lug 49 operates only at the end of the projecting motion and therefore holds the end of the weft sufficiently long to enable the weft to be gripped by the jaws 41, 48.

The slide carrying the cam or stop 28 has a lug 5|. A stationary part 52 in which the cams or stops 28 slide has levers 53 pivoted at 54 on it and each loaded by a spring 55. Each lever 53 has a tooth 56 which catches behind the projection 5| when the cam or stop 28 is projected and thereby holds the cam or stop in its operative position sufficiently long to cause it to project the feed strip 36 into its fully projected position at the transfer station notwithstanding the fact that the corresponding bar I6 is no longer acted on by the lug 26 which had actuated it. When the cam or stop 28 has been held sufficiently long to effect full projection of the feed strip 36, a lug 51 on the rising block 38 impinges on the lever 53 so as to raise and thereby disengage the tooth 56 from the projection 5|, thus releasing the cam or stop 28 to allow it to be returned by the spring 68 to its withdrawn position.

Each block has two notches 58 and 68 respectively to catch tooth 6| provided on pivotal arms 62, one of which is carried by each lever 39. Each arm is acted on by a tension spring 63 acting to hold the tooth 6| in yielding engagement with one or other of the notches 59 and 68. When the tooth is engaged with the notch 59, the feed strip is retained by the lever 39 in its retracted position. When the tooth 6| is engaged with the notch 88, the feed strip is held by the lever 39 in its projected position.

After the weft end has been taken by the jaws 41, 48, the block 38 commences to descend whilst the respective feed strip remains projected, due to engagement of its tooth 61 with the notch 60, and its jaws 44, 45 remain open because the strip remains in its projected position, see particularly Figure 3.

As the block 38 nears the bottom of its descent, the weft 42, which now stretches between the eye 43 and the departed jaws 41, 48, is caught by a fork 64 which guides it into position between the jaws 44, 45 and locates it so that it can be caught by jaws 65, 66 at a part of the weft between the fork 64 and the departed jaws 41, 48. The weft is then as shown in Figure 4, namely still continuous with the supply. After the jaws 44 and 45 have again gripped the weft new again between them, a cutting device (not shown) severe the weft by cutting the weft at a place between the fork 64 and the jaws 65, 66, so that a piece of weft becomes severed and therefore detached from the supply for transfer to a shuttle and a new weft end is formed by the severance and is held stretched between the eye 43 and the jaws 44, 45 as at the commencement of the operation.

As the block nears the end of its descent, the lever 39 of the projected feed strip 36 impinges against a stationary stop 61, see Figure 4, which causes the lever 39 to swing and force its tooth 6| out of the notch 60 into notch 59 and also retract said feed lever to its non-projected position in which the jaws 44, 45 are closed and grip the weft, whereupon the block again com mences its ascent. During running there are always blocks rising and blocks falling in different paths. Whilst one block is at the transfer station another block is at its lowest position. There are levers I I] and bars I6 for all the feed strips, that is to say there is one lever ID and one bar l6 for each feed strip of each group. Consequently there are several 'groups of feed strips feeding weft successively at a single transfer station and consequently the speed of operation of the parts of the selector and hereinbefore described devices is maintained relatively low, notwithstanding the relatively high number of weft ends presented in a short period.

I claim:

1. In a selecting mechanism for the presentation of wefts of the correct colours and kinds in sequence for transference in separate pieces and the correct order to shuttles in the supplying of weft to a warp, projectable stops, wires for projecting the stops, oscillatably and slidably supported slide bars connected to the wires for pulling them, lugs on the slide bars, a rotatable cylinder, lugs disposed along a helical line on the cylinder for displacing the first named lugs and therefore sliding the slide bars, levers supporting the slide bars, pins on the levers, alternately operating displaceable members disposed beneath the levers and having pattern holes to accommodate the pins, the said holes being disposed where wefts are not to be selected for presentation for allowing the fall of respective levers and slide bars, and lifting means being provided for lifting the levers clear of the alternately operating members before displacement of the said members.

2. In a selecting mechanism for the presentation of wefts of the correct colours and kinds in sequence for transference in separate pieces and the correct order to shuttles in the supplying of weft to a warp, a weft feed station, longitudinally displaceable weft end presenting strips for presenting the ends of stationary supplies of different wefts to shuttle replenishing means, projectable members for displacing the strips to the weft feed station singly and separately, and perforated pattern roll controlled means for projecting the members into their displaceable positions for displacing the strips to the weft feed station singly in the order required for producing "the desired pattern.

3. In a selecting mechanism for the presentation of wefts of the correct colours and kinds in sequence for transference in correct order to shuttles in the supplying of weft to a warp, a plurality of weft presenting strips arranged in separate groups, means for lowering and raising each group separately, a weft transfer station, means for withdrawing any strip of each group from the transfer station, a lever for projecting each strip individually to the weft transfer station when its group is raised, and withdrawable means for actuating the levers separately by impingement of the levers against the said means when not withdrawn.

4. In a selecting mechanism for the presentation of wefts of the correct colours and kinds in sequence for the transference in separate pieces and the correct order to shuttles in the supplying of weft to a warp, a presentation station, a plurality of slides arranged to rise and fall in radiant planes all containing the said station, a plurality of presenting strips mounted on each slide and swingable from a retracted into a projected position, a separate weft end presenting means provided on each strip and presenting its weft end at the said station when its strip is in the projected position and the slide carrying its strip is raised, and means for selecting strips from the said strips and projecting the selected strips in a predeterminable succession at the end of their ascent, and retracting the projected strip at the end of their descent.

5. A selecting mechanism for the presentation of wefts of the correct colours and kinds in sequence for transference in separate pieces and the correct order to shuttles in the supplying of weft to a warp, comprising in combination, two alternately feedable rotary drums having holes, levers above the drums, pins on the levers registering with the said holes, raisable and slidable bars supported by the levers, projections on the upper part of the bars, a rotary cylinder above the bars, lugs on the rotary cylinder for sliding the bars through the projections, cams for raising one half of the levers alternately with the other half of the said levers, cords connected to the said bars, spring-loaded levers connected to the cords, projectable cams connected to the levers for operation by the levers when the bars are slid by the lugs, spring loaded pivotal catches for holding the cams in projected position, slides, means for raising and lowering the slides in processional order, a plurality of strips swingably hung on each slide, a weft end holding device on each strip, levers provided on the slides and operated by projected cams of the said cams for shifting the strips singly into operative positions where their weft end holding devices present the weft ends singly for transference, and stationary stops acting on the second named levers for retracting the strips and thereby returning them to their inoperative positions.

HENRY J. COOPER.

No references cited.

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