US2960118A

US2960118A - Shuttleless weaving looms

Info

Publication number: US2960118A
Application number: US599862A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ancet Victor Marie Joseph; Fayolle Marius
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1955-08-29
Filing date: 1956-07-14
Publication date: 1960-11-15
Anticipated expiration: 1977-11-15

Description

Nov. 15, 1960 v. M. J. ANCET ETAL 2,960,118

SHUTTLELESS WEAVING LOOMS Filed July 24, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VE N TORS VICTOR MARIE JOSEPH ANCET MARIUS FAYOLLE Nov. 15, 1960 v. M. J. ANCET ErAL SHUTTLELESS wmvmc LOOMS Filed July 24, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 'IIIIIIIII/I/l/I/A INVENTOR3 A'rromqgg United States Patent 2,960,118 SHUTTLELESS WEAVING LOOMS Victor Marie Joseph Ancet, 24 Rue Massena, and Marius Fayolle, known as Marcel Fayolle, 16 Rue Duquesne, both of Lyon, France Our invention relates to shuttleless weaving looms of the kind wherein the weft is inserted in the shed from a stationary weft supply by a weft pulling needle which is transversely movable from the side of the warp opposed to the said weft supply and which carries at its fore end a thread gripper which, during the return of the said needle, catches the portion of the weft thread comprised between the inlet end of the preceding pick and the weft supply, in such a manner that after the said thread has been clamped in the thread gripper and has been cut between the latter and the inlet of the preceding pick, the said thread may be pulled by the needle and laid in the shed, means being provided for disengaging the said thread from the thread gripper when the needle has reached the side of the warp towards the end of its return stroke.

It is the object of our invention to provide a shuttleless weaving loom of the kind above referred to, which will operate in a satisfactory manner even with hard and springy threads which necessitate a substantial tension, and wherein there will not be necessary to provide an important length of weft thread beyond the edge of the fabric opposed to the stationary weft supply.

In accordance with our invention the thread gripper carried by the weft pulling needle comprises a fixed jaw formed by the underside of the base of a thread-catching tongue raised obliquely towards the heel of the needle, and a pivoted movable jaw disposed beneath the said fixed jaw.

According to another feature of our invention the pivoted jaw of the thread gripper is carried by a longitudinal rod rotatably supported by the needle and actuated by fixed cam surfaces during the movement of the said needle. The axis in question may be submitted to the action of spring means which tend to close the movable jaw against the fixed jaw, and it may be solid with a radial lever which cooperates with the fixed cam surfaces to open the thread gripper against the said spring means. The lower jaw is preferably housed in a recess provided in the needle beneath the tongue.

It will be appreciated that in the loom according to our invention the thread gripper may be positively actuated, in contradistinction with the known grippers in which the thread is only wedged under the effect of its own tension which should therefore be very carefully adjusted. The thread gripper according to our invention may clamp the thread at the beginning of the return stroke of the needle or on the contrary after the latter has already travelled back through a given distance across the shed. By so disposing the thread cutting device that the thread is cut in the immediate vicinity of the inlet of the preceding pick a given time after the beginning of the return stroke of the needle, there may be obtained that the said needle drags a dead end of noticeable length, and by so adjusting the opening of the gripper that it occurs before the end of the return stroke of the needle, this dead end may be regularly laid in the ice shed by the needle, which may be of advantage in some case and with some kinds of threads.

According to another feature of this invention the vertical wing of the thread drawing needle, realized in the form of an angle iron in a per se known manner, terminates obliquely somewhat behind the fore end of the horizontal wing to leave at the point of the needle and in front of the thread gripper a flat surface on which the warp threads may come at the beginning of the shed closing step before the needle has reached the outlet side of the warp, whereby the weft thread laid by the needle is pressed between the said flat surface and the warp threads and is prevented from curling when the gripper opens, as it generally occurs in the known shuttleless looms in the case of threads of springy character which have a marked tendency to curl.

The devices used for cutting the weft thread between the inlet of the last pick and the thread gripper may be of any description. There may be used cutter blades of known construction. The needle may be formed with a sharp cutting edge. Owing to the positive clamping action effected by the gripper according to this invention the weft thread may in some cases be broken under the efiect of the tension to which it is submitted.

In the annexed drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmental plan view showing a loom according to this invention at the foremost position of the weft pulling needle.

Fig. 2. is an enlarged perspective view showing the fore end of the needle.

Fig. 3 is the corresponding plan view with parts in section to show the arrangement of the movable jaw of the thread gripper and of the opening in which the said movable jaw is disposed.

Figs. 4 to 6 are sections taken through lines IV-IV, VV and VI-VI of Fig. 3.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged perspective view showing the rear end of the needle and the parts adapted for cooperation therewith.

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatical vertical section showing a possible embodiment of the weft thread cutting device.

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. l, but showing the parts at the beginning of the return stroke of the needle.

Fig. 10 shows the parts towards the end of this return stroke.

Fig. 11 illustrates the side of the loom provided with the stationary weft supply, when the needle has completed its return stroke.

The loom illustrated is of the conventional type wherein the warp threads from a loom beam are divided into two sheds by appropriate shedding means for permitting insertion of the successive picks, the distribution of the warp threads in the two sheds being of course changed after each pick. The weft thread or pick inserted in the shed is beaten up by an appropriate mechanism such as, for instance, a reed carried by an oscillating slay. All these devices are well-known in the art and therefore Figs. 1, 9, 10 and ll only show the warp threads 1 in the vicinity of one side of the warp sheds (left hand side in Figs. 1, 9 and 11, right hand side in Fig. 2). Reference numeral 2 designates the fabric formed by the warp threads and the successive picks. 3 is a stationary weft thread supply from which the successive picks are to be drawn, it being understood that each one is formed of a single thread and not of a double thread as in some shuttleless looms. The end of the loom where the fabric is wound will be termed the front end of the loom, the rear end corresponding to the loom beam. The terms right side and left side will refer to the operator facing the front end of the loom.

Insertion of the weft thread in the shed is efiected by a needle 4 having a length somewhat greater than the end of the said needle (righthand end in Figs. 1, 9 and 10) being engaged on a vertical pin which is reciprocated transversely to the fabric by any appropriate means, not illustrated, such as, for instance, a crankpin and connecting rod gearing. This needle -4 is in the form of an angle iron with a substantially horizontal wing and a substantially vertical wing disposed behindthe horizontal wing with respect to the loom. It is appropriately guided for instance by guides provided on the slay in the manner known for the shuttles of conventional looms. The driving pin 5 may be carried by the slay to follow the longitudinal oscillating motion thereof, or it may move in a fixed transverse plane,in which case the needle should wholly clear the slay at the end of its return stroke, as it will be easily appreciated. The operation of the needle is to advance through the shed (Fig. 1), to catch and to grip the weft thread from the weft supply 3 (Fig. 9), then to return backwards while pulling the said thread which has been separated from the preceding pick (Fig. the said weft thread thus forming a further pick which is beaten up by the slay.

As shown in Figs. 2 to 6, the horizontal wing 4a of the needle 4 is of increased thickness towards the fore end of the needle, as indicated at 4b, the end of this thickened portion 412 being pointed. The rear edge of this thickened portion 4b is formed by a transverse upper shoulder, as more particularly shown in Fig. 3. The horizontal wing 401 has a rectangular opening 40 longitudinally disposed with respect to the needle, the front end of this opening being cut in the thickened portion 4b.

The thickened portion 41) has a rearward extension 4d in the form of a triangular tongue which is curved upwardly. The upper side of this extension or tongue 4d is flush with the upper side of the portion 4b itself and the thickness of the said tongue is reduced in such a manner that there is left an intermediate space between the lowermost point of its underside and the upper side of the horizontal wing 4a at the rear of the thickened portion 419, as clearly shown in Fig. 5. The extension or tongue 4d extends across the needle 4 from the free edge of the horizontal wing 4a to a point situated approximately midway of the width of the needle so as to cover almost entirely the opening 4c.

The transverse shoulder which forms the rear edge of the thickened portion 4b has a laterally disposed blind hole 4e (Fig. 3) wherein there is pivoted one end 6a of reduced diameter of a rod 6 which extends along the inner junction of the two wings of the needle 4. The other end 6b of this rod 6, also of reduced diameter, is rotatably engaged in a tubular sleeve 7 (Fig. 7) adjustably secured in a block 8 carried by the horizontal wing 4a in the vicinity of the rear end of the needle. The block 8 is provided for this purpose with a set screw 9. On the portion of the rod 6 nearest to the fore end or point of the needle there is fixed by welding or otherwise a fiat arm 10 which is engaged into the free space between the horizontal wing 4a and the underside of the extension or tongue 4:2, as indicated in Fig. 5, the said arm being bent at 90 in a horizontal plane within the opening 40 in such a manner that its end 10a may form a movable jaw in cooperation with the base of the tongue 4d which plays the role of the corresponding fixed jaw (Figs. 3 to 6). The upper face of the said end 10a is grooved longitudinally.

A radial finger 11 (Fig. 7) is secured to the aforesaid rod 6 in the neighbourhood of its rear end 6b and to this finger there is attached one end 12a of a torsional spring 12 carried by the rod 6, the other end 12b of this spring bearing against the horizontal wing 4a. The arrangement is such that the torsional spring 12 tends to apply the end or movable jaw 10:: of the arm 10 against the base of the tongue or fixed jaw 4a, and that when these two jaws are in mutual contact the said finger 11 is substantially vertical. InFigs. 4, 5 and 6 the movable width of the fabric, the rear jaw 1011 has been shown as spaced from the fixed jaw 4d against the action of the spring 12.

The right-hand side of the loom carries a transverse rod 13 (Figs. 1, 7, 9 and 10) disposed laterally with respect to the warp and on this rod 13 are adjustably secured

sleeves

14 and 15 clamped in position by means of set screws 16 and 17. Each

sleeve

14 or 15 supports a cam surface, respectively 18 or 19, adapted for cooperation with the outer end of the radial finger 11 in the transverse to-and-fro motion of the needle, in order to rotate the rod 6 through a small angle against the action of the spring 12. The cam surface 18 acts at the end of the forward stroke of the needle and the cam surface 19 at the end of the rearward stroke thereof.

The Weft thread from the stationary weft supply 3 passes through a vertical tubular guide 20 (Figs. 1, 6, 9 and 11) disposed on the left-hand side of the loom beyond the edge of the fabric and at such a position that when the needle 4 reaches its foremost position, the said guide is close to the rear side of the vertical wing 4 of the needle, its lower end opening immediately above the horizontal wing "4a and behind the extension or tongue 4a, as indicated in broken lines in Fig. 6.

The vertical wing 4 of the needle lowers progressively behind the fore end of the needle in such a manner as to leave a wholly flat portion on a certain length A (Fig. 4) of the needle starting from the tip or point thereof.

The loom further comprises appropriate cutting means to cut the weft thread between the successive picks. These means may be of any kind. In the example shown in Fig. 8 the cutting device comprises in the conventional manner a cutter blade 21 with a vertical or oblique cutting edge, carried by the upper end of a rod 22 which is vertically movable in a guide 23 fixed to the slay 24, the lower end of the said rod being attached at 25 to a lever 26 pivoted at 27 and actuated by a cam 28. The joint 25 between the rod and the lever is situated in the vicinity of the axis of the slay, whereby it is substantially unaffected by the oscillatory motion thereof. The cutter blade may be located at any appropriate point in the vicinity of the weft-inlet edge of the fabric, as for instance at one of pointsB and C in Fig. 9, the only important question being that the said blade should meet the weft thread and cut the latter owing to the vertical movementimparted by the rod 22.

Instead of using a positively actuated cutter blade, the needle itself may be provided with a cutting edge against which the weft thread is out under the action of its own tension. Such a cutting edge should be disposed substantially on the vertical edge of the shoulder which separates'the thickened portion 4b of the horizontal wing 4a of the needle from the remainder of the said wing, as indicated at D in Figs. 2, 3, 5, 6 'and 9.

Fora better understanding of the operation of the above-described loom it will be supposed that at the beginning of an operative cycle the needle 4 is at its rearniost position, itsfore endbeing wholly disengaged from the warp sheds on the right-hand side of the loom. The last pick 29' (Fig. 11) has been beaten up by the slay in the conventional manner. The shed is closed. It will be notedthat the last pick 29 is situated in front of the tubular thread guide '20 through which is passed the weft thread from the stationary weft supply 3. The said weft thread has not yet been cut and the last pick is therefore in one with a length 30 of thread extending between the lower end of the tubular guide 20 and the inlet end of the said pick 29.

The slay returns backward and the shed re-opens in accordance with the pattern.

Then the needle moves forwardly through the shed from right to left in the drawings, until its fore end or point protrudes beyond the left-hand side of the warp, as-indicated in :Fig. 1. As indicated in this figure, the vertical wing 4; of the needle is in a transverse plane situatedslightly behind the tubular guide 20. The extension or tongue M is beyond the said guide 20, i.e., on the left of the portion 30 of the weft thread which has been raised during the passage thereof, and the said portion 30 now extends on the horizontal wing 4a of the needle. Moreover towards the end of the forward stroke of the needle the radial finger 11 has met the fixed cam surface 18, whereby the movable jaw has been lowered, i.e., the thread gripper has been positively opened.

The needle 4 then begins its rearward stroke from left to right in Fig. l. The thread portion 30 first slides on the horizontal wing 4a and is thus led under the base of the extension or tongue 4d until it strikes the transverse shoulder which forms the rear edge of the thickened portion 4b. Fig. 2 illustrates the position of the weft thread when it is thus pulled by the needle. This thread first runs vertically downwards from E to F (Fig. 6), then horizontally from F to D. All the edges being appropriately rounded, the thread may slide freely without being damaged. Of course appropriate thread-tensioning mechanisms (not illustrated) are associated to the weft supply 3 for ensuring the tension required.

But at some point of the beginning of the rearward stroke of the needle (position of Fig. 9), when the weft thread has been engaged under the extension or tongue 4d, two operative steps take place at the same time or substantially so. In the first place the cutter blade 21 is actuated by the cam 28 and it cuts the thread portion 3% somewhere between the needle and the last pick 29 (at any point such as B and C). In the second place the radial finger 11 leaves the cam surface 18 and consequently the thread gripper formed by the grooved end 10a and the base of the tongue 4d closes under the action of the torsional spring 12. The weft thread is thus strongly clamped.

When the weft thread is to be cut at the point D, this is automatically obtained after closure of the thread gripper, which closure should occur just when the thread comes into contact with the rear transverse shoulder of the thickened portion 4b of the needle to prevent the thread from slipping against the cutting edge formed at D.

The needle thereafter returns towards the right-hand side of the loom while pulling the weft thread from the stationary weft supply 3. When the fore end of the needle is in the vicinity of the right edge of the shed (Fig. 10), the radial finger 11 meets the cam surface 19 and the thread gripper 10a, 41:? is re-opened, whereby the thread is allowed to slide under the tongue 4d until it is wholly disengaged from the needle. The cam surface 19 is of course so adjusted that the end of the weft thread may project beyond the side of the warp shed.

When the needle is wholly disengaged from the .shed, the slay beats up the weft thread laid by the needle to form a further pick, whereby the operative cycle is completed.

Owing to the strong clamping action of the thread gripper, the weft thread is positively pulled through the shed without any risk of slippage even in the case of rough threads, such as jute yarns. The gripper may be so adjusted that the weft thread is only clamped after the needle has moved backwards through a noticeable distance, whereby the needle is caused to carry a relatively long dead end 32 (Fig. 2) of thread. By properly adjusting the opening of the gripper this dead end is correctly laid in the shed at the end of the return stroke of the needle. It is also possible to adjust very exactly the length of the portion of each pick which projects beyond the edge of the fabric.

In the case of light threads the portion 30 of Fig. 9 may break under the action of its own tension after closure of the gripper, which dispenses with any kind of cutting device.

It is further to be remarked that the mechanism used for effecting the positive actuation of the thread gripper is simple in construction and comprises no sliding sleeve or like gearing.

Owing to the pecular shape of the vertical wing if and to the presence of the wholly flat portion A (Fig. 4) at the fore end of the needle, the loom shedding means may be so adjusted that the shed closes somewhat before the needle has returned beyond the right-hand edge of the warp, the warp threads 1 thus sliding on the said wing 4f and becoming applied on the said portion A, as indicated in Fig. 2. The weft thread 30 is thus slightly pressed between these warp threads and the needle and when the thread gripper opens, the said weft thread is prevented from curling and from causing defects on the edge of the fabric.

We claim:

1. In a shuttleless weaving loom having a warp, warp shedding means and means for beating up the successive picks, a stationary weft supply from which the successive picks are to be drawn; a weft thread pulling needle reciprocatable across the shed to pull the weft thread from said stationary weft supply, said needle being formed with a thread clamping surface; a movable jaw adapted to cooperate with said thread clamping surface to form therewith a thread gripper; an oscillatable rod longitudinally carried by said needle, with said movable jaw fixed to said rod substantially in radial relation therewith; a radial finger carried by said axis in the vicinity of the rear end of said needle to ensure actuation of said movable jaw; fixed cam surfaces disposed on the path of said radial finger to actuate same during movement of said needle to open said thread gripper at the beginning of the return stroke of said needle to receive said weft thread, then to close said thread gripper to retain said weft thread, and thereafter to again open said thread gripper at the end of said return stroke to release said weft thread; spring means loading said rod angularly against the action of said fixed cam surfaces on said radial finger; means to cause the weft thread from said weft supply to become engaged between said thread clamping surface and said movable jaw at the beginning of the return stroke of said needle and before closure of said thread gripper; and means to cut said weft thread between said needle and the inlet end of the preceding pick beaten up into the warp when said thread has been gripped between said thread clamping surface and said movable jaw.

2. In a shuttleless weaving loom having a warp, warp shedding means and means for beating up the successive picks, a stationary weft supply from which the successive picks are to be drawn; a weft thread pulling needle reciprocatable across the shed to pull the weft thread from said stationary weft supply, said needle having a L-shaped cross section with an upwardly directed vertical branch disposed along the side of the horizontal branch nearer to the warp beam end of the loom; a thread guiding tongue carried by the horizontal branch of said needle, said tongue rising obliquely and rearwardly of said needle with its upper end below the upper shed of the warp; means to guide the weft thread from said weft supply at a point situated below the upper end of said tongue and between said tongue and said vertical branch of said needle to cause said weft thread to be raised by said tongue and thereafter to fall behind same during the forward stroke of said needle, but to be caught during the return stroke of said needle and to slide on the lower face of said tongue towards the base thereof, and the underside of the base of said tongue being formed as a thread clamping surface; a movable jaw adapted to cooperate with said thread clamping surface to form therewith a thread gripper, said horizontal branch being recessed to accommodate said movable jaw; an oscillatable rod longitudinally carried by said needle in the vicinity of the junction of said horizontal branch and of said vertical branch and on the inner side of said branches, said movable jaw being fixed to said nod substantially in radial relation therewith; a radial finger carried by said rod in the vicinity of the rear end of said needle to ensure actuation of said movable jaw; fixed camsurfaces disposed on the path of said radial .finger to actuatesame during movement of said needle to open said thread gripper at the beginning of thereturn stroke ofsaid needle before said weft thread is brought underthe base of said tongue, then to close said thread gripper to retain said weft thread and thereafter to again open said thread gripper at the end of said return stroke to release said weft thread; spring means loading said rod angularly against the action of said fixed. cam surfaces on said radial finger; and means to out said weft thread between said needle and the inlet of the preceding pick beaten up into the warp when said thread has been gripped between said thread clamping surface and said movable jaw.

3. In a shuttleless. loom wherein weft yarn is cyclically drawn from a stationary "weft yarn supply and inserted into the loom shed, longitudinal weft gripping and inserting means in combination with cam means mounted on the loom adjacent to said Weft gripping and inserting 55 means, said gripping and inserting means comprising, at one end thereof, a stationary weft gripping surface, a movable weft gripping surface. extending radially from pivotal means mounted upon'and extending longitudinally of said weft gripping and inserting means, spring loaded means at the other end of said weft gripping and inserting means adapted to torsionally pivot said pivotal means to thus engage said surfaces in a Weft gripping position, said spring loaded means adapted to be engaged by said cam means to disengage said gripping surfaces at selected intervals during the weft inserting cycle.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS 669,029 Great Britain Mar. 26, 1952 808,755 France Feb. 15, 1937 1,080,877 France Dec. 14, 1954 1,107,210 France Aug. 3, 1955