US2800146A - Brake means for tufting-yarn spool - Google Patents

Description

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Filed March 17, 1954 'E. s. PARSONS BRAKE MEANS FOR TUFTING-YARN sPo oL.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 July 23, 1957 E. S. PARSONS BRAKE MEANS FOR TUFTING-YARN SPOOL Filed March 1'7, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent BRAKE MEANS FOR TUFTING-YARN SPOOL Edgar S. Parsons, Natiek, Mass., assignor to Roxbury Carpet Company, Saxonville, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts This invention pertains to Axminster looms and relates more particularly to improved brake means for the tufting-yarn spool which is carried by a tube frame of such a loom, the device of the present invention being applicable for example, but without limitation thereto, to an Axminster loom equipped with devices such as described in the copending application filed by Parsons et al. on June 11, 1953, Serial No. 360,896.

In Axminster looms, spools of tufting-yarn are rotatably mounted in tube frames which in turn are carried by intermittently moving endless conveyor chains for presentation one after another at the weaving point. While the tube frames are being carried by the conveyor-chains, the spools on the frames are prevented from rotating by brake devices. When the foremost tube frame of the series arrives at the weaving point, the conveyor chains dwell and the foremost tube frame is' automatically removed from the chains by so-called clutch devices which engage opposite ends respectively of the tube frame and support the latter while moving the tube frame through the weaving-in cycle, during which the end portions of the tufting-yarns are locked into the base fabric and cut off, after which the tube frame is restored to the conveyor chains. As more fully'described in the aforesaid copending application, the brake which prevents rotation of the spool during the travel of the tube frame with the conveyor chains is released, thereby to permit rotation of the spool, as an incident to the gripping of the tube frame by I the clutch devices, and a second spool brake device comes into action, during the weaving-in cycle, to control the tension on the tufting-yarn as the latter is drawn off from the spool. The present invention relates more specifically to the brake means which prevents rotation of the spool during the travel of the tube frame with the conveyor chains.

In the arrangement described in the above copending application, the brake shoe, which normally engages the rim of the spool to prevent the latter from turning during the travel of the tube frame with the conveyor chain, is carried by a resilient arm fixed at one end to the tube frame and having the brake shoe mounted on its other or free end, the arm being so arranged that, if not otherwise actuated, the brake shoe would be slightly spaced from the rim of the spool. To hold the brake shoe against the spool rim a compression spring normally presses against the underside of the arm which carries the brake shoe, thus lifting the free end of the arm sufficiently to force the brake shoe against the spool rim, thereby to prevent the latter from turning. The clutch device which takes the tube frame from the chains and carries it through the weaving-in cycle comprises a part which compresses said spring, as the clutch device seizes the tube frame, thus relieving the pressure which the spring normally exerts against the arm which carries the brake shoe, and the brake shoe moves away slightly from the rim of the spool to allow the latter to turn. The rim of the spool is spaced but a short distance, for example /2", from the upper surface of the tube frame so that Patented July 23, 1957 there is little available room in which to locate the brake shoe or provide for its actuation. In the device of said copending application, the resilient arm which carries the brake shoe is of substantial length, for instance, six or more inches, in order that sufficient strength coupled with the requisite resilience may be assured. The fixed end of this arm is secured to the tube frame by screws or bolts, and as there is no means for adjusting the arm, the latter must be shaped with precision in order that, when installed, the brake shoe shall be spaced the desired slight distance from the spool rim. Moreover, although thebrake shoe wears and must be replaced at intervals, it is impractical to replace the brake shoe of the previous device except by removing the entire arm from the frame, an operation which requires the use of tools, with the result that replacement of the brake shoe is often too long delayed.

The present invention has for an object the provision of spool braking means of an improved type such that no substantial care is necessary in installing the parts to insure proper operation. A further object is to provide spool braking means wherein the brake shoe is so supported that it falls freely by gravity action away from the spool rim when released from the action of the compression spring. A further object is to provide improved braking means such that the brake shoe carrier, together with the brake shoe, may be removed instantly from the tube frame without requiring the use'of tools, thus greatly facilitating the replacement of a worn brake shoe. Other and further objects and advantages ofthe invention will be pointed out in the following more detailed description and by reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a fragmentary front elevation showing one end portion of a tube frame with one spool mounted therein, and showing the tube frame equipped with the improved spool braking means of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1, viewed from the right-hand side of the latter;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary front elevation, partly in vertical section and with parts broken away, showing details of the spool braking means of the present invention, the parts being shown in the position which they occupy while the tube frame is being carried along by the conveyor chains;

Fig. 4 is an end elevation showing the parts illustrated in Fig. 3; I

Fig. 5 is a view generally similar to Fig. 3, but showing the parts in the position which they occupy while the tube frame is going through theweaving-in cycle;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view illustrating the brake shoe carrier removed from the tube frame; and

Fig. 7 is an elevation showing a desirable form of fulcrum means for the arm which carries the brake shoe.

Referring to the drawings, the character F (Fig. 1) indicates a tube frame of generally conventional construction such as is used in an Axminster loom, only the right-hand end portion of the tube frame being herein illustrated. This frame comprises an elongate hollow body portion having the front Wall 10, a corresponding rear wall 11, a top wall 12 (Fig. 3), and a bottom wall 13, these walls being of sheet metal and shaped to define an interior chamber C, Fig. 3. This chamber is closed at the right-hand end of the frame by a rigid plate 14 having a bottom flange 14a (Fig. 3) which overlies the bottom wall 13 of the frame and to which it is secured by screws or rivets. A rigid vertical bearing guide 15 is fixed to the inner surface of the plate 14, this guide 15 being forked at its upper end, and, between the plate' 14 and the member 15, the lower end portion of a spring finger 16 is secured, this finger extending upwardly beyond the upper end of the member 15 and beting'biased toward the left (Fig. 1) by a spring 17. The finger 116 carries a bearing 18 in which turns one pintle 19 of the tufting-yarn spool S, a similar pintle, at the opposite end of. the spool turning in a bearing 20, carried by a bracket 21 secured to the top wall 12 of the tube frame. The spool S has radial flanges or heads H and H at its opposite ends, the right hand head H as here'illu" 'rated'bein'g provided with .a' peripheral rim R for engagement by a brake shoe B, as hereinafter described.

A plate 22 (Fig.3) underlies the right-hand end portion of the top wall 12 of the frame, this plate being secured. to the top wall by a screw 23 and by a fulcrum stud D (Fig. 3), comprising a screw-threaded stem portion 24 and a head portion 25, the latter contacting the upper surface of the wall 12. This stud D, as illustrated in detail in Fig. 7, is provided with a circumferential groove 26 in its head, this groove defining a neck portion 27 of a diameter substantially less than that of the main portion of the head. This stud forms a fulcrum support for an arm 28 (Fig. 6) which supports the brake shoe B. This arm, which is desirably of stiffly resilient material, for example spring steel, is of a thickness somewhat less than the axial length of the neck portion 27 of the stud, and is forked at one end to define the substantially parallel fingers 30 and 31 which are separated by the open ended elongate slot 32. The width of this slot is such as to permit it to receive the neck portion 27 of the stud with a free fit, and since the thickness of the material of the arm 28 is less than the axial length of the neck portion 27 of the stud, the arm, when assembled with the stud, is free to rock up and down to a limited degree, and is also capable of being swung horizontally about the vertical axis of the stud as a pivot. The brake shoe B is secured to the free end of the arm 28, for example by spring clips 29, so that it may be removed from the arm and replaced by a new brake shoe. The arm 28 (Fig. 6) is provided with an aperture 33 at a point intermediate its ends, and this aperture receives a pin 34 (Fig. 3) which fits loosely within said aperture and which has an enlarged portion 35 forming a seat on which the right-hand portion of the arm 28 normally rests. The pin extends down into the cavity C and through a sleeve 36 on which the enlargement 35 of the pin rests and which is capable of sliding vertically in aligned guide openings in the parts 12 and 22, and which is provided with a radial flange or collar 37 which forms an abutment for the upper end of a compression spring 38. The lower portion of this spring is centered by a stationary 'stud 38a projecting up from the floor of the chamber C. The spring 38 tends to move the flange 37 upwardly and thus to push the pin 34 upwardly and in this way to lift the free end portion of the arm 28 and force the brake shoe B against the rim R of the spool head.

One arm 39 (Fig. 3) of a bell crank lever is slotted to provide fingers which straddle the vertically movable sleeve 36 above flange 37 and which rest upon the upper surface of the flange 37 at diametrically opposite points. This bell crank lever is fulcrumed at 4 3 where it passes through an opening 40a (Fig. 2) in the end wall 14 of the frame and comprises the upwardly directed rigid arm 41 which has an outwardly directed finger 42 at its upper end which, when the tube frame is traveling with the chain, engages a fixed stop member 43 constituted by the outwardly and upwardly bent upper portion of theend wall 14. The spring 17 above referred to tends to swing the bell crank lever so that the part 42 engages the stop 43, as shown in Fig. 3, thus rocking the arms 39 upwardly and permitting the spring 38 to hold the brake shoe B in contact with the rim R of the spool head.

One of the clutch devices which take the spool frame from the conveyor and carry it through the weaving-in cycle is so designed that When, in the operation of the Axminster loom, this particular tube frame arrives at the weaving point and the frame is removed from the conveyor chain, the arm 41 of the bell crank lever is swung to the position shown in Fig. 35, thus rocking the arm 39 do w y so as c mpre sth pri s e pin 3.4 is thereby forced to move downwardly in response to the action of gravity and the brake shoe B drops freely away from the spool rim, thus allowing the spool to turn except as its turning is thereafter controlled, during the weaving-in cycle, by means not herein illustrated. When the tube frame is again restored to the conveyor chain, the arm 41 of the bell crank lever is released and spring 38 immediately restores the brake shoe B to its normal operative position.

If, during the operation of the loom, the brake shoe B eventually becomes worn so that it requires to be replaced, it is merely necessary to remove the spool from the tube frame, whereupon that end of the arm 28 which carries the brake shoe may be lifted, if necessary by applying some bending force to the flexible arm, so as to disengage the arm from the pin 34. The arm may then be swung horizontally about the axis of the fulcrum stud D and slid off from the fulcrum stud, thus making it very convenient to remove the old brake shoe and replace it by a new one. The slotted end of the arm is then slid onto the neck portion 27 of the fulcrum stud and the arm is swung back within the frame until the aperture 33 is aligned with the pin 34, the arm then being lowered so that the pin projects through the hole 33 and thus holds the arm in its normal operative posi tion where the brake shoe is immediately below the rim of the spool head. It is thus possible, without the use of any tools whatsoever, to remove the brake shoe from the tube frame for replacement or repair, the operation of removing it being one which requires only a few seconds to perform, so that there is no legitimate excuse for not changing the brake shoe when the brake shoe has become too much worn for effective operation.

By supporting the brake shoe as above described, there is no necessity for accurate adjustment of parts, since the arm 28 which supports the brake shoe is loosely fulcrurned on the stud D andimmediately drops away from the rim of the spool when the pin 34 is depressed by lever arm 39 and no longer supports the arm 28 in its normal position. Thus, without requiring expensive accuracy of parts employed for supporting the brake shoe, it is assured that the brake shoe will be freed instantly from the spool rim at the proper time, and likewise that the rake shoe will be moved into operative engagement with the spool rim at the proper point in the operating cycle.

While one desirable embodiment of the invention has herein been illustrated by way of example, it is to be understood that the invention is broadly inclusive of any and all modifications falling within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. In combination with a tube frame of the kind used in an Axminster loom, said frame having bearings for a tufting-yarn spool, a brake shoe engageable with the rim of a spool mounted in said bearings thereby to prevent rotation of the spool, a stud projecting upwardly from the top of the frame, a lever having one end fulcrumed on said stud, the brake shoe being mounted on the opposite or free end of the lever, the lever having an aperture intermediate its ends, a vertically movable pin whose upper end passes freely through the aperture in the lever, a compression spring normally urging the pin upwardly, thereby to raise the free end of the lever and force the brake shoe against the spool rim, and means operative to compress the spring, thereby to permit the brake shoe to drop by gravity action away from the spool rim.

2. In combination with a tube frame according to claim 1, wherein the pin passes through a sleeve which slides in guides carried by the tube frame, the pin having an enlargement which rests on the upper end of the sleeve, the sleeve having a radial flange forming an abutment for the upper end of the spring, a bell crank lever pivotally supported by the tube frame, one arm of said lever overlying the flange of the sleeve and the other arm of the lever being operative to move the first arm downwardly thereby to compress the spring.

3. In combination with a tube frame of the kind used in an Axminster loom, said frame having bearings for a tufting-yarn spool, a movable brake shoe engageable at times with the rim of a spool mounted in said bearings, thereby to prevent rotation of the spool, an elongate arm carrying the brake shoe at one end, the opposite end of the arm having an elongate open slot, a stud projecting upwardly from the top of the tube frame, the stud having a circumferential groove providing a neck which is loosely received in the slot in said arm, the arm having an aperture intermediate its ends, and a pin which is normally disposed in said aperture and which prevents orientation of the arm about said stud.

4. The combination as set forth in claim 3, wherein the slot in the arm which carries the brake shoe is of a width slightly greater than the diameter of the neck of the stud whereby the arm is free to move up and down to a limited extent about its contact with the stud' as a fulcrum, the pin which passes through the aperture in the arm being vertically movable, a spring which normally urges said pin upwardly, thereby to move the brake shoe into contact with the spool rim, and means for preventing the spring from so acting.

5. In a tube frame for use in Axminster looms in combination, means for supporting a tufting-yarn spool, a brake shoe engageable at times with the rim of the spool to prevent rotation of the spool, a stifily resilient lever on which the brake shoe is mounted, a compression spring normally holding the lever in a position such that the brake shoe contacts the spool rim, means for compressing the spring thereby to allow the lever to move so that the brake shoe is spaced from the spool rim, the arm which supports the brake shoe having an opening at the end opposite that on which the brake shoe is mounted, said opening receiving a fixed stud about which the arm may be swung freely in a horizontal plane, thearm having another opening, intermediate its ends, a headless pin which fits loosely in said latter opening, thereby normally game to prevent the arm from swinging horizontally, the lever being disengageable from the pin, after removal of the spool from the frame, thereby allowing the lever to be swung horizontally so as to carry the brake shoe laterally away from the spool rim.

6. In a tube frame for use in Axminster looms in combination means for supporting a tufting-yarn spool, a brake shoe engageable with the rim of the spool to prevent rotation of the spool, a stifiiy resilient arm on one end of which the brake shoe is mounted, a compression spring for urging the brake shoe into contact with the spool rim, means for compressing the spring thereby to allow separation of the brake shoe from the spool rim, the arm which supports the brake shoe having an elongate open slot at its opposite end, a fixed stud within said slot, said stud providing a fulcrum about which the arm may swing up and down and also in a horizontal plane, the arm having an aperture intermediate its ends, a vertically movable pin normally projecting up into said latter aperture, thereby to position the arm that the brake shoe is operatively related to the spool rim, the pin being of such length that, after removal of the spool from the frame, the brake carrying end of the arm may be flexed upwardly to disengage it from thetpin, thereby permitting the arm to be removed from the frame.

7. A tube frame of the kind which is used in an Axminster loom and which, in use, is moved from idle position to a weaving position where it performs a weaving-in cycle, at the completion of which it is moved to idle position, and which has bearings for a tufting-yarn spool provided with a head having a rim, and which also has means for applying uniform tension to the yarn as it is drawn from the spool during the performance of the weaving-in cycle, and which, in addition, has brake means operative to prevent the spool from turning while the latter is in idle position, characterized in that said brake means comprises a brake shoe and a movable carrier for the shoe which tends to maintain the shoe spaced from' the rim of the spool head, a spring capable, while the frame is in idle position, of so positioning the carrier as to hold the shoe in operative contact with the spool rirri, thereby to prevent rotation of the spool, and means capa ble of so stressing the spring, while the frame is performing the weaving-in cycle that the carrier is free completely to separate the brake shoe from the spool rim.

8. A tube frame according to claim 7, further characterized in that the carrier for the brake shoe is an elongate lever fulcrumed at one end on the frame so that its opposite end may move up or down, the brake shoe being mounted on the last-named end of the lever, the lever being located below and in the plane of the spool axis so that the weight of the lever tends to move the brake shoe down and away from the rim of the spool head, the spring being a compression spring, tending to engage the brake shoe with the spool rim, and the means capable of so stressing the spring as to allow the carrier to drop and separate the brake shoe from the spool rim comprising a bell crank lever, one end of which engages the upper end of the compression spring, said lever also having an actuating arm by means of which it may be rocked, thereby to compress the spring.

9. In a tube frame for use in Axminster looms, in combination, means for supporting a tufting-yarn spool, a brake shoe engageable with the rim of the spool to pre vent rotation of the spool, an elongate carrier arm, to oneend of which the brake shoe is attached, said arm having an aperture near that end which carries the brake shoe, and having an open-ended slot adjacent to its opposite end, a compression spring below that end of the arm which carries the brake shoe, means for transmitting motion from theupper'end of the spring to said arm, said means comprising a pin which extends up through the aperture in said arm, means for compressing the spring, thereby to allow the brake shoe to move down and away from the spool rim, and supporting means for the carrier arm comprising a part on which the slotted end of the arm rests and which constitutes a fulcrum about which the arm may rock, and a fixed part passing freely through the slot in the arm, the parts thus being so constructed and arranged that after removal of the spool from the frame the arm, together with the brake shoe, may freely be removed as a unit from the frame without recourse to the use of tools.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,924,904 Bixby Aug. 29, 1933 2,161,761 Hathaway June 6, 1939 2,161,762 Hathaway June 6, 1939

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