US2925630A

US2925630A - Method and means for measuring sliver production

Info

Publication number: US2925630A
Application number: US564534A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jr Charles D Forney
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1956-02-09
Filing date: 1956-02-09
Publication date: 1960-02-23
Anticipated expiration: 1977-02-23

Description

Feb. 23, 1960 c. D. FORNEY, JR 2,925,530

METHOD AND MEANS FOR MEASURING SLIVER PRODUCTION Filed Feb. 9, 1956 w INVENTOR;

Cl/APLES D. fan/ex de.

ATTORNEYS Patent AND MEANS FOR MEASURING SLIVER PRODUCTION Charles D. Forney, Jr., Lawndale, N.C. Application February 9, 1956, Serial No. 564,534 6 Claims. 01. 19-1s9 3 METHOD ter-operating rotatable element which is driven by contact 7 with the moving sliver as the sliver is introduced into the coiler head of a coiler mechanism.

It is another object of this invention to provide means on the coiler head for resiliently supporting a recording counter whose counting mechanism is coupled to a shaft on which a wheel or roller is secured and whereby the wheel or roller rests lightly upon the sliver in its course over the casing of the coiler head whereby any abnormally thickened places or hard places in the sliver will elevate the wheel and the recording counter as such thick or hard places pass beneath the wheel.

It is still another object of thisinvention to provide.

apparatus of the character described wherein means are provided for vertically adjusting the position of the re cording counter and, consequently, the wheel, to. accurately determine the displacement between the lower surface of the wheel and the upper surface ,of the casingof the ,coiler head whereby the position of the wheel may be so adjusted that undesirablerelatively thin places in the sliver will not rotate theceunter wheel. Since the attend-v ants of sliver producing machinery are generally .paid'on the basis of the actualelength of. theslivers, produced, this would be an ineentivefor the attendants to be on the alert for the occurrence of relatively thin places in the slivers so the necessaryvv corrections of the adjustments or operations .of the corresponding machine. would be made promptly, thereby resulting in a better grade or quality of sliver than would .betthercase in they event, that the improved measuring device was not used. 1

Someof the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as thedescription proceeds when taken in connection with theaccompanying drawing, in which- 3 Figure l is a fragmentary view of a sliver producing machine embodied in a carding. machine, showing the sliver as it is ,directed t'o a coiling mechanism with: the improvedjsliver measuring device mounted upon the casingnofthecoiler head, some of the parts beingbroken l away-and others being shown in section for purposes of clarity-y;

Figure 2" is an enlarged fragmentary elevation looking along line 2-2 in Figure l, but omitting the sliver;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary plan viewtaken substantially along line 3-3 in Figure 2; Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken suhstantial-lyalong line 4-4 in Figure 3.

Referringmore specifically to the drawing, the doffer or,- discharge end ofa carding machine 10 is shown in Figure 1, the carding machine being a preferred embodi- 2,925,630 Patented Feb. 23, 1960 ment of a sliver producing machine. The carding macover 20 has a conventional trumpet 22 positioned therein forwardly of the guide 17 which condenses the sliveras it is drawn therethrough by a pair of coiler calender rolls 23. The calender rolls 23 direct the sliver S into an inclined passageway or'tube 24 of a conventional tube wheel or tube gear 25 which is driven in a conventional manner.

The coiler head 21 is supported on the usual pedestal 26 whose lower end rests upon the floor upon which the machine 10 rests and has a plate 27 projecting therefrom having usual means therein for rotating a coiler plate 30 upon which a can 31 rests. Of course, the sliver S is coiled into the can 31 bythe tubegear 25 in a well known.

manner.

The parts heretofore described are conventional and their operation is well known in the art and, accordingly,

a further description thereof is deemed unnecessary.

The means for carrying out the novel method for measuring sliver as it is produced comprises a registering counter 35 of the usual type Veeder-Root, Inc., 25 Sargeant Street, Hartford, Conn. The registering counter 35 is be observed and which counter wheels '37 may be reset by conventional means including a reset handle 40. The counter wheels 37 may indicate any desired type of lineal measure, but are preferably arranged to indicate the numher of hanks of roving or slivers produced.

The registering counter 35 includes a shaft 41 extending substantially horizontally therefrom on' which a wheel or roller 42 is suitably secured, the wheel 42 overlying the cover or casingZllof the coilerhead 21 at a point intermediate the guide 17 and the trumpet .22....A substantially U-shaped troughmember 43 is preferably pro vided below the wheel 42 to assist in maintaining'the sliver S in alinement with the wheel 42 asv the sliver passes between the guide 17 and the trumpet 22 on the cover 20 of the coiler head 21. The periphery of the wheel 42 may be irregular, concave or convex, but is preferably fiat as shown in the drawing, It should be noted that the proximity of the wheel 42 to the trumpet 22-issuch that--- are compressed or condensed the fibers in the sliver 'S' somewhat so that any additional'friction created at this point by engagement of the wheel 42 with the sliver S will not cause the sliver to '42 contacted the trumpet.

The registering -counter 35 is suitablyseeured, as by bolts 45, to the upper: surface of a hinged or vertically" I adjustable plate 46, the plate 46-preferabl-y being pro- 47 for the bolts 45 to facilivided with elongated 's'lots tate adjustment'of the counter 35 so the wheel 42 may be properly aligned with the trough 43. The rear end of the plate 46; that is, the end thereof nearest the direction from which the sliver S is moving, is pivotally or hingedly connected as upper portion or platform 50 of a resilent support broadly designated at 51. The resilient support 51 is shown in the form of a leaf spring member and the forward end of the platform curves downwardly and beneath itself to form a relatively short bottom portion 52 which is such as manufactured byof the usual type having a window 36 therein through which counter wheels 37 may 1 break, as it would if the wheel sliver S at a point too remote from the at 48 to the rear'end of the i suitably secured, asby screws'54 to the upper surface of the cover or casing 27 of the coiler head 21.

The support 51 is preferably made from a resilient or flexible material such as spring steel and it will be observed'in' Figuresd and 4" that the support is disposed to one" side" of the-path" of travel of thelsliver in its course from the guide'1'7 tothe trumpet 22. It is thus seen that the platform'50 of the support 51 is biased tionalpart of the unit of length registered 'on'the registeringi counter 35"relative' to the length of "such relatively thin portions'or places. This condition generally exists when'a lengthfiof sliver S is initially threaded from thecalendar rolls 15, -16into"the coiling mechanism and it is apparent that the attendant of the sliver producing machineshould not be credited with having produced sliver of the desired size to constitute hanks or other form of lineal measurement, such as would be indicated by the recording counter 35, during such times that the corresponding leng ths of the sliver S are of a size, thickness orrdensity 'belowa. given standard.

Accordingly, means are provided for vertically ad justing theregistering counter" and its actuating wheel 42'relative to the troughi43 and the cover or casing 20 of the coiler head 21'which means also compensates for any variation which might exist in the resiliency of different supports 51. To this end, the forward portion of the hinged'or pivoted plate 46 is threadably penetrated by an adjustment screw or set screw 56 whose lower end bears against the platform 50 and which has a lock nut 57 threaded thereon for securing the set screw 56 in the desired adjusted position. It is thus seen that, regardless. of. the flexibility or resiliency ofthe support 51, as long as the'weight of therecording counter 35 and associated parts is sufiicient to bias the platform 50 downwardly, the displacement between the proximal surfaces of the wheel 42 and the trough 43 may be accurately adjusted. I

Although the support 51 is described herein as preferably being made' from a flex le material, it is contemplated thatth'e'support 1 or a similar support may be made'froma rigidmateriahsince the set screw 56 may be so adjusted to accurately determine the'displacement between the lower surface of the wheel 42 and the upper surface of the cover so that only that portion of the sliver which is of a predetermined minimum thickness will engageand impart rotation to the wheel 42.

It is' thus seen that I have provided a novel method of measuring the actual'length' of'sliver having 'a density or thickness of a predetermined standard including moving the sliver, when of proper thickness, in engagement with a-wheel connected to a counting device immediately in advance of the sliver entering the coiling mechanism whereas, heretofore, the only way in which sliver lengths could be measured, to my knowledge, was to provide. a counting ,rneans. offsome description which would. be driven'by-the. calender: rolls, such as the calender rolls 15. .16. It is apparent that, since such calender rolls as the'rolls 15', 16 are driven continuouslyvwith operation ofthe sliver producing machine or carding machine 10, such counting devices driven thereby would also indicate length when there actually was no sliver passing therebetween, or the sliver may have been of a thickness-or density below the desired standard.

In the drawing and specification there has been'set forth a preferredembodiment of the invention and, al-

thoughspecifictermsare employed, they are. used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposesof limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

I claim:

1. A method of measuring sliver as it is produced on a sliver producing machine which includes moving the sliver between a stationary member and a rotating wheel while condensing the sliver and driving the wheel by engagement of the wheel with'the'sliver and while maintaining. the wheel in suchspaced relation to the stationary member that the'whe'elis, drivenjon'ly by portions of the sliver which are of a predetermined minimum density and thickness when so'condensed, and recording the amount of movement of the periphery of the wheel in a given lineal gradation proportionate to the circumference of the wheel.

2. A method of measuring length of sliver produced as it is drawn into a coiler mechanism which includes condensing the sliver while moving the sliver in engage-. ment' WithQthe'coVer of the, coilerfmchani'sm and in engagement" with a 'whee'l to ca-use th'e'sli-veft'o' drive" said wheel and'while maintaining the wheel sue spaced relation to the cover that the'wheelis"driven";

only by portions of the sliver which are of apredetermined minimum density and thickness when 56- condensed, and; recording the revolutions'of said w'heiiiif such proportions as to indicate thelengthbfslive'rmov ing past 'said'wh'e'el. 3'. In a-sli'ver producing'"mac'hii1e havingwa' device fortaking up the sliver asit is produced,said device having rotated only by sliver of a predetermined-thickness passing between the wheel and the fiat surface, and a counter coupled to said wheel for registering the length of the sliver which passesin engagement with and imparts rotation'to the wheel. I

4. Apparatus for measuringthe length of textile sliver as it enters a coiling mechanism wherein'the coiling mechanism is provided with a fiat substantially horizontal upper surface across which the sliver is drawn in it'scours'e" into the coiler head, said apparatus comprising'a substan- 1 tially (t -shaped support made from'fa flexiblemateriaiand, having its lower portionfixe'dto said flat upper-surface, a registering counter carried by'the upper p'ortiori' of said support and having an operating shaft extending therefrom and overlying the path of movement of said sliver, a roller fixed on said shaft and engageable by'the sliver, and the combined weight of the counter, shaftand'roller servingto bias the roller toward the fiat surface, and the flexibility of the upper portionof said support being such' as, to substantially overcome said cornbinedweight, as the;

weight biases said roller toward said surface; to where the roller is maintained in spaced relation above said surface and is supported independently ofrthe sliver whereby the sliver rotates'saidroller to register the length of said sliver on the registering counter. a

5. Apparatus for measuring the length of: textile sliver as it enters a coiling mechanismwherein the ceiling" mechanism isprovided with a flat substantially h'ori zontal upper surface across'which the-sliver is'dr'awn-in its course into" a coiler head; said apparatus'comprisin'g a substantially C-shaped support made from a flexible material and having its lower portion fixed to saicLflat upper surface, a plate pivotally connected to the upper portion of said support, a registering co'unter' attached to said plate, said counter having an operating 'sh'a-ft extending therefrom and overlying the path of movement of said sliver, a roller fixed on said shaft and engageable by the sliver, the combined weight of the' counter,--shaft and rollerserving to bias the roller towardthe fiat surface, :and "means forfadjusting said plate about itspivot} relative to the upper portion of said support to thereby adjust the displacement between the proximal surfaces of the roller and said flat surface of the coiling mechanism, whereby the sliver rotates said roller to register the length of sliver on the registering counter.

6. Apparatus for measuring the length of textile sliver as it enters a coiling mechanism wherein the coiling mechanism is provided with a fiat substantially horizontal upper surface across which the sliver is drawn in its course into a coiler head; said apparatus comprising a substantially C-shaped support made from a flexible material and having its lower portion fixed to said flat upper surface, a plate carried by the upper portion of said sup port, a registering counter secured to said plate, said registering counter having an operating shaft extending therefrom and overlying the path of movement of said sliver, a roller fixed on said shaft and engageable by the sliver, the combined weight of the counter, shaft and roller serving to bias the roller toward the flat surface whereby the sliver rotates said roller to register the length of said sliver on the registering counter, and means for vertically adjusting the plate relative to the upper portion of the said support for adjusting the displacement between the proximal surfaces of the roller and the flat up per surface of the coiler mechanism.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS