US2856808A - Stop motion for braiding machine - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 21, 1958 B. HUTNICK 2,856,803

STOP MOTION FOR BRAIDING MACHINE Filed Nov. 23, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 llllllllllllllllllllllIlllllh Oct. 21, 1958 B. HUTNICK STOP MOTION FOR BRAIDING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 25, 1955 I 1|. IlrPEELF Unite States Pa STOP MUTTON FOR BRAIDING MACHINE Benjamin Hutnick, Malden, Mass. Application November23, 1955,; SeriaLNo 548,677 4 Claims. (Cl. 8718)" This invention relates to a simpleuand relatively inexpensive stop motion device for .braidingmachines such as are used in the manufacture-of elastictaper In machines of this type a desired number of rubber warps are drawn from spools or bobbins .topass througha guide ring (braiding eye) near the top ofthe machine. A number of bobbins of textile yarns, such as cotton thread, are carried by the machine in and out between the rubber threads so as to braid the cotton .threads'about the rubber threads, thus forming a tape. Machines of this type are power driven through a clutch which can be disengaged to stop the machine, and stopmotion devices are employed to disengage the clutch automatically if one of the cotton threads breaks. According to the present 'invention, the machine is modified in a simple inexpensive manner to provide means responsive to they breaking of a rubber warp to disengage the clutch and stop themachine.

For a more complete understanding of the invention reference may be had to the following descriptionthereof, and to the drawing, of which- Figure 1 is a plan view of a braiding machine=having an embodiment of the invention thereon;

Figure 2 is an elevation of the same;

Figure 3 is an elevational view, on. alarger scale,,of a bottom latch carrier with a bobbin .of cotton thread thereon;

Figure 4 is a similar view from another angle;

Figure 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is an elevational view of a warp guide and tension device;

Figure 7 is a similar view from another angle; and

Figure 8 is a fragmentary elevational view of the tension device and a bobbin carrier.

The drawings show a standard type of braiding machine to which a novel stop mechanism has been applied, this mechanism consisting of relatively simple and inexpensive attachments which require little alteration of the original machine. The machine comprises the usual top plate 10 and bottom plate 12 supported by legs 14. The top plate has a sinuous slot 16 which defines quoits 18, eight of these being shown in Figure 1. At the center of each quoit is a warp guide 20. These warp guides are novel in structure and are hereinafter described in more detail. The rubber warps are supplied from spools 22 mounted below the machine, the individual warps being led up through tubular warp studs (not shown) on which the warp guides are screw-threaded. From the warp guides the warps pass to a braiding eye 24, the cotton threads being braided around the portions of the warps approaching the eye.

In the machine shown on the drawings, seventeen cotton threads are supplied from as many bobbins 26, only one such bobbin with its carrier 28 being shown in Figure 1. These carriers are propelled along the slot 16 by the usual cams driven by a train of gears 30. According to the invention, one or more of these carriers may be modified as hereinafter described, one modified carrier being sufficient.

The machine is driven by power supplied througha belt pulley 32, bevel gears 34 and a clutch 36. The latter canbedisengaged by depressing a clutch lever 38 which is held up by a vertical rod 40 attached thereto. Near the upper end of the rod 40 is a notch in which an extension 42 on a stop motion lever 44 engages. If the lever 44 is rocked to the right as shown in Figure 1, the rod 40 is released and permits-the clutch lever 38 to fall, disengaging the clutch 36 so that the machine stops.

According to the invention, all of the usual warp guides are replaced by' special. warp guides like the one: illustrated in Figures 6, 7 and 8. This comprises a vertical tubular shank a side ofwhichis cut away as at 52 for a: major portionof its length. Opposite the open side'52 is a slot 54 for a. screw 56 by which a block 58 isadjustably secured within the shank 50. A wingedhead 60 came screw facilitates tightening and loosening it. From the block 58 a light tension spring 62 extends to a headed pin 63 which extends loosely through a block 64. This block is pivoted at 66 to the upper end 'ofthe shank 50, the pivot being laterally offset from the centerof gravity of the block 64 and the axis of the shank 50. The block 64 is rockable from the upright position shown in Figure 6 to the tilted or fallen position shown in Figure 8 by the force of gravity and the pull of the spring 6.2. The block 64 is normally held in its upright position by a rubber warp strand 70 which comes from one of the spools 22 up throughthe bottom and top plates to a forked guide element 72, thence around a tension drum 74*and onto the braiding eye 24.

The tension drum 74 is rotatable about the vertical pin 63, the head of the pin bearing on the upper face of the drum. The bottom face 'of the drum bears on a felt washer 78 on the top of the block. The frictional drag of the drum onythe felt washer provides an even, adjustable tensionon the warp 70 which can. be regulated by moving the block 58 up or down to decrease or increase the tension of the spring 62. If the warp 70 breaks, the block 64 rocks to the tilted position shown in Figure 8. The spring 62 thus has the double function of regulating the tension on the I warp 70 and assisting gravity in causing the block 64-to tilt when the warp breaks.

The guide forrn 72 on each warp guide is a part of the stop motion mechanism, being arranged to act as a tripping member as hereinafter described. As indicated in Figure 2, the warp guides 20 are arranged on the top plate 10 in such a way that the guide forks 72 project outward from the circle of warp guides. One of the bobbin carriers 28 is modified as illustrated in Figures 3, 4 and 5 to cooperate with the guide forks 72. For this purpose the modified carrier is made with a tubular spindle 80 in which is fitted a stem 82. A block 84 is removably mounted on the upper portion 86 of the stem 82 which projects above the upper end of the tubular spindle 80. The upper portion 86 of the stem is preferably non-round, e. g. semi-round, and fits into a hole of similar cross-section in the block 84 so that the block and stem must turn together. Any suitable means such as a spring-pressed ball detent 88 may be employed to keep the block 84 from coming oif accidentally. The lower end of the stem 82 is fixed in a block 90 which fits in a cutaway recess in the bottom of the base 92 of the carrier. The block 84, the block 90 and the stem 82 are thus parts of a rocker which turns as a unit about the axis of the stem 82. A spring-pressed detent 94 carried by the block 98 normally engages in a shallow dent in the base 92 to hold the rocker releasably in the position shown in full lines in Figure 5. If the upper block 84 is turned one way or the other from its normal angular position, the lower block 90 must also turn through the same angle. The angle of turn is limited by fixed pins 3 96 and 98 which are set in the base 92 and are engageable by the block 90 when it turns.

The operation of the parts of the stop motion mechanism thus far described is as follows. During the operation of the machine, the modified carrier 28 travels along the endless sinuous slot 16 which guides it past'all of the eight warp guides in succession. If the forked tripping members 72 are supported by the warp strands in their normal position, as shown in Figure 6, the block 84 passes below them. If a warp strand breaks, it releases the corresponding tripping member 72 which it has been supporting. This member drops to the fallen position shown in Figure 8 where it intercepts the block 84 when the modified carrier next passes it. The guide 72 hits an end of the block 84 and turns the rocker of .whichthe block 84 is a part. The block 90 takes one of the positions indicated in broken lines in Figure 5. In either position the forward end of the block 90 projects out laterally beyond the plane of one of the side faces of the base 92. As indicated in Figure 1, the stop motion lever 44 is shaped and arranged so that portions of it are normally close to the slot 16 at points 100 and 102. When the carrier 28 passes these points its base just clears the lever 44, as indicated in Figure 4. If, however, the rocker has been turned by an encounter of the block 84 with a fallen tripping member 72, the projecting end of the block 90 will engage the lever 44 at either the point 100 or the point 102, depending on which way the block 90 has been turned from its normal position. The lever 44 is thus displaced sufficiently to release the vertical rod 40 and disengage the clutch 36. The machine stops at once and awaits the fixer who joins the broken ends of the warp strand, resets the rocker, and restarts the machine.

I claim:

1. In a braiding machine including a number of bobbin carriers, braiding mechanism for moving said carriers to braid the yarns from the bobbins carried by the carriers, a series of upstanding guides for warp strands above said braiding mechanism, and a stop motion device responsive to the breaking of one of said yarns to stop the machine; means for activating said stop motion device to stop the machine in response to the breaking of one of said warp strands, said means comprising a tripping member mounted on each said warp strand guide and movable thereon from an elevated position to a fallen position, and rockable means carried by one of said carriers for activating the stop motion device, said rockable means including a part arranged to engage and be moved 4 by any fallen tripping member, and another part movable therewith to engage and activate said stop motion device.

2. In a braiding machine including a plurality of bobbin carriers, braiding mechanism for moving said carriers to braid the yarns from bobbins on said carriers, and stop motion mechanism responsive to the breaking of one of said yarns to stop the machine, said stop motion mechanism including a lever mounted adjacent to the path of said carriers and rockable to cause the machine to stop; a series of upright warp strand guides mounted above said braiding mechanism, each said warp guide having a tripping member carried thereby and movable thereon from an elevated position to a fallen position, each said tripping member being normally supported in its elevated position by a warp strand, a rocker carried by one of said carriers, said rocker including one part arranged to clear said tripping members when in their elevated position but to strike and be rocked by any said tripping member in the fallen position, said rocker having another part movable toproject laterally from the carrier when the rocker strikes a fallen tripping member, said stop motion lever being engageable by said projecting part of the rocker to stop the machine.

3. In a braiding machine, an elongated warp strand guide adapted to be mounted in a vertical position, an

upper block mounted at the upper end of said guide, a warp tension device comprising a horizontal friction disk on the top of said block, a flanged drum resting on said disk, at headed pin extending loosely down through said drum, said disk, and the upper part of said guide, the head of said pin bearing on the upper face of said drum, a lower block adjustably mounted on said guide below the upper end thereof, and a tension spring attached at one end to said lower block and at the other end to said pin whereby to press said drum against said friction disk.

4. In a braiding machine having a stop motion device, mechanism as set forth in claim 3, said upper block being pivotally attached to said warp guide and rockable from an upright position to a tilted or fallen position, and a combined guide and tripping member projecting from said block to guide a warp strand to said drum and to cause the stop motion device to operate when the block is in its fallen position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,961,620 Murray June 5, 1934

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