US3023788A - Replenishing mechanism for looms - Google Patents

Description

March 6, 1962 H. N. THIBAULT EIAL 3,023,788

REPLENISHING MECHANISM FOR LOOMS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 8, 1960 INVENTOR.

HA RR/so/v/V. 721/94: 011 BY Jo /v A, Cue/1w. 4 EMF 725 A TTORNE Y March 6, 1962 H. N. THIBAULT ErAL 3,023,788

REPLENISHING MECHANISM FOR LOOMS Filed Jan. 8, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR. HA RR/so/v M TH/EA ULT.

g, 7 BY HN A. CU6/N/ A TTORIMEY March 6, 1962 H. N. THIBAULT EI'AL 3,023,783

REPLENISHING MECHANISM FOR LOOMS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 8, 1960 ii li Z R. w w v. m M NwL R mmw m i United States Patent F 3,023,788 REPELENISHING MECHANISM FOR LOOMS Harrison N. Thibault and John A. Cugini, Hopedale,

Mass, assignors, by mesne assignments, to Draper Corporation, a corporation of Maine Filed Jan. 8, 1960, Ser. No. 1,201 8 Claims. (Cl. 139-457) This invention relates to looms for weaving and, particularly, to an improved automatic battery for feeding bobbins to the loom shuttle upon call for replenishment and means for mechanically retaining the filling end of the transferred bobbin and disposing of this end in a very simple manner.

It is the general object of the invention to simplify the bobbin replenishing mechanism of looms by providing an all-mechanical system which is effective to remove and to retain the filling end in a positive manner at the same time decreasing yarn breakage at transfer.

It is a further object to provide a replenishing mechanism including an extracting device for removing the tip bunch from bobbins so wound prior to transfer of said bobbins into a loom shuttle and physically clamping that bunch for an extremely accurate and predetermined period of time, and further to control said extracting device automatically to retain the bunch in the event that a transfer of bobbins fails to take place after a call for replenishment.

Another object is to provide an extracting device which is of open construction, whose design stresses simplicity, and all of the parts of which are easily accessible for replacement or repair when necessary.

It is a further object to provide a clearing device for taking hold of the filling ends after release thereof by the extractor and for retaining these ends after cutting thereof at the fabric selvage and for then disposing of the ends, all the while maintaining tension on the ends.

A further object is to provide in a loom for weaving having a bobbin feeding mean for retaining and presenting for transfer to a loom shuttle a supply of bobbins having filling wound thereon an end of which is Wound in the form of a tip bunch adjacent the bobbin end, a member pivotally mounted adjacent the end of the leading bobbin in the feeding means, a combined gripping and clamping means attached to that member, a cam-operated lever operable upon a call for replenishment to pivot the member away from the bobbin end over which it is inserted thereby to cause the gripping and clamping means to remove and to retain the bunch, and a check means effective to control release of the bunch by the combined means, the check means being controllable through the transfer arm of the loom.

Other objects will be apparent from the description to follow.

One well known type of automatic battery for effecting transfer of bobbins in fly shuttle looms employs bobbins having a finder or tip bunch wound on the end thereof. The purpose of such a hunch is to permit automatically functioning mechanical means to engage this bunch in a positive manner and to displace it outwardly over the end of the bobbin to be engaged by other means and to be held thereby for a period of time sufficient to permit the transfer to take place and also for the shuttle to make its initial pick through the warp so as to permit the filling to become interlocked in the fabric before the held end of the filling thread is released. One such automatic battery is disclosed in United States Patent No. 2,566,880, employing a swinging bunch removing instrumentality including two opposed gripping members resiliently urged toward each other adapted to engage and remove the tip bunch from a bobbin to be transferred to a shuttle, a picker for engaging the removed bunch and transferring "ice it to a comb where it is held while the transfer takes place 1 and until the bunch is subsequently displaced by additional bunches. Movement of the gripping members and picker is taken from the transfer mechanism already present on the loom.

The present invention is an improvement over the construction of the patent above cited wherein a gripping member is employed which is pivotable in a horizontal plane so that it is caused to move outwardly from the end of a. bobbin to be transferred during removal of the tip bunch therefrom and rearwardly of the axis of that bobbin as well, Since transfer of a bobbin into the shuttle takes place when the lay of the loom is at front center and since the next movement of the lay after transfer is toward back center, positioning of the removed bunch rearwardly of the axis of the transferred bobbin results in an improved thread angle between that axis and the filling end, thereby decreasing the possibility of yarn breakage on the first pick after transfer.

The extractor is timed by means of a cam-operated lever to remain in its withdrawn position for a period of time equal to two picks of the loom in order to give the next bobbin to be transferred enough time to fall into the proper position before the extractor is permitted to encompass the end thereof. A novel clamping means assures positive control of the removed tip bunch and retains the bunch until a pivoted hook member takes hold of the filling end intermediate the bunch and the fabric selvage to bring the filling adjacent a stationary member which in conjunction with the hook member acts as a retaining means for the filling end to maintain it tensioned until it has been severed at the selvage. Additional means have been provided to hold the extractor in a withdrawn position in the event that a transfer of bobbins fails to take place.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying figures of drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the replenishing side of a loom having the invention applied thereto;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the loom with certain parts omitted for the sake of simplicity;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view taken on line 44 of FIG. 2 and on an enlarged scale;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 55 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is an elevational view of the mechanism for preventing release of the extractor in the event of failure to transfer;

FIG. 7 is a view partly in section taken on line 7-7 of FIG. 3 and on an enlarged scale;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged side elevation of the combined extractor and clamping device; and

FIG. 9 is an enlarged front elevation of the apparatus of FIG. 8. 7

Now referring to FIG. 1 the hopper stand 11 acts as a support means for the bobbin replenishing mechanism which includes an inclined chute 12 through which bobbins move by gravity to a transfer position occupied by a bobbin 13. A transfer arm 14 acts upon a. call for replenishment to transfer that bobbin into the shuttle 15 in a known manner.

An extractor arm 16 is comprised of two sections 17 and 18 which are fixed at substantially right angles to each other. The arm is pivotally mounted at one end 19 of the section 17 to an L-shaped bracket 20 which is attached to the side of the chute at 21. The opposite end of section 17 is bifurcated as indicated at 22 and has one end of a link member 23 pivotally mounted therein. A further bracket 24 is carried by the motor support 25 which itself is mounted at the loomside. That bracket has a stud 26 extending therefrom upon which an extractor arm lever 27 is pivoted intermediate its ends. The upper part of the lever is linked to member 23. The lower part includes a pair of horizontally extending members 28 and 29 through aligned openings in which there extends a stud member 30. The latter has fixed to its lower end a collar 31 which includes a torsion spring member 31 one end of which is fixed to the collar and the other end to the member 29' so as to urge the stud in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 4. The lower end of the stud includes a further collar member 32 fixed thereto at a location just above the member 29, the collar including an extension 33 protruding therefrom which rotatably supports a roller member R. At its upper end the stud 30 has extending therefrom a flat plate member 34. A flexible rod 35 enclosed within a flexible tube 36 has one end located adjacent the flat plate 34 and its other end is located so as to be actuated by an abutting plate 37 which depends from an arm 38 fixed to the transfer rod 39.

Upon a call for replenishment the transfer rod causes the plate 37 to move inwardly a small mount, whereby the flexible rod moves the roller into the path of an extractor drive cam 40 which is mounted on an extension 41 of the cam shaft so that the cam makes one complete revolution per two picks of the loom. The roller is engaged by the cam when the lay is approximately at back center, the cam being so designed as to provide clearance for the roller to be swung into and out of its path at that time. As will be apparent from the drawings rotation of the cam in a counterclockwise direction will cause the extractor arm lever 27 to pivot thereby to move the extractor arm to the position shown in FIG. 1 or the dotted line position in FIG. 3. Adjustment screws 42 are threaded in the bracket 24 and bear upon the support 25 to permit proper lateral alignment between roller and cam while the bolts S hold the bracket to that support. A spring 43 abuts against a collar 44 fixed to the flexible rod to permit the roller to move out of the cam path after one revolution of the cam when the clearance area is again reached.

The mechanism for removing the tip bunch from a bobbin about to be transferred and for retaining the bunch for at least one pick will now be described. That device comprises a combined extractor and clamping device 45 shown to enlarged scale in FIGS. 8 and 9. The extractor includes a pair of jaw members 46 and 47, the former being an integral part of the base member 48. law 47 is pivotally supported on a stud 49 and is urged into contact with jaw 46 by means of a torsion spring 50 at which time the pair of jaws define an opening 51 which is slightly smaller at least along a portion of its diameter than the diameter of the end 52 of a bobbin over which it is to be inserted to remove the tip bunch 53 thereof. From the top of the base member 48 there is pivotally mounted a clamping plate 54 having a pair of side members 55 and 56 attached along the sides thereof and a button 57 on its face in a position whereby it place and the transfer is delayed until a subsequent call is made. In such a case the extractor arm will act to cause removal of the bunch from that bobbin and the clamp will have been released to hold the bunch against the sides of the extractor jaws. It is therefore desirable to maintain the extractor arm in its extended position away from that bobbin so that the hunch is not released. Toward this end additional mechanism has been provided to hold the arm out in the position indicated in FIG. 1 until the leading bobbin has been transferred into the shuttle, which mechanism will now be described. Essentially, that mechanism comprises means forming a linkage between the loom transfer arm and the extractor arm whereby the latter is released to allow the extractor jaws to slip over the next bobbin to be transferred only after the transfer arm has moved downwardly a suflicient amount to cause a bobbin transfer.

The device includes a rod 64 one end of which is linked to the extractor arm at 65 and the other end of which passes through an opening in a stop plate 66 fixed to the hopper stand 11 as noted in FIG. 7. The rod is pro vided with a notch 67 on its underside, the right hand side of which is adapted to be engaged by the lower edge of the opening in the stop plate to be locked thereby and to hold the extractor arm in its extended position. Release of the rod is effected through the linkage system shown in FIG. 6 which includes a transfer arm follower 68 pivoted intermediate its ends at 69 to a member 79 I fixed to hopper stand 11. The follower has one end 71 will fit partially into the opening 51 when the plate is 7 released to retain the tip bunch. A coil spring 58 urges the clamping plate toward the jaw members and the entire assembly is mounted at the free end of the section 18 of the extractor arm. A pin 59 is fixed to the side member 55 and is adapted to engage a plate fixed to the side of the chute so as to maintain the clamping plate out of engagement with the extractor jaws when the latter are in position over a bobbin, but which pin releases that plate as soon as the extractor arm swings outwardly to remove the bunch. An adjustable set screw 61 is located on the inner side of the section 18 to limit inward movement of the arm by engagement with a stop 62 on the side of the chute and toward which the arm, is biased by a spring 63.

Although it is a rare occurrence, it sometimes does happen that when a call for replenishment is made, a transfer of a new bobbin into the shuttle fails to, take thereof biased in the direction of the upstanding ear 72 by means of a spring 73. The opposite end of the follower is engaged by means of a pin 74 with a vertical slot 75 in a releasing link 76, the lower end of which has an opening for the passage therethrough of the rod 64. It will therefore be evident that as the transfer arm moves downwardly, the, releasing link 76 will lift the rod 64 so as to release it from the stop plate 66. Of course, if the transfer arm fails to move downwardly to transfer a bobbin upon a call for replenishment, as would happen should the shuttle be improperly boxed, then the rod 64 would remain locked until the second following pick. If the shuttle were then properly boxed, the transfer arm would replenish the shuttle and the rod 64 would be released. The cam is shaped so as to allow the notch in the rod to move by the stop plate when a transfer has actually taken place so as to prevent undesired engagement between the two. Also, a sudden protrusion P on the cam slows down movement of the extractor arm just as it approaches its stop to prevent any rebound and accidental removal of the tip bunch from the next bobbin to be transferred.

Before the tip bunch is released by the clamping device, the filling end between the fabric sel-vage and the bunch must be under control to prevent that end from whipping back into the shed. Toward this end a filling end control means has been provided which comprises a hook member 77 fixed to the end of a swinging rod 78. The other end of the rod is fixed to a short stud 79 supported in a bracket 80. A link 81 is also fixed to the stud and has a connecting member 82 pivotally connecting the link with the section 18 of the extractor arm adjacent its bifurcated end as noted in FIG. 1. A supporting bracket 83 having a piece of furry material 84 or other suitable thread gripping substance is attached so that it cooperates with the hook 77 as the latter grips the filling end between the bobbin and the clamping device to bring that end into the vicinity of the furry material and to retain it there until the next call for replenishment. A further hook 85 (FIG. 2) is fixed adjacent the furry material inwardly of the l'oom with respect to the pivoted hook 87 and acts to prevent the cut filling end from being carried rearwardly by the hook 87 on the next transfer.

The hook pivots rearwardly as the extractor arm pivots outwardly and as the latter is released, the hook swings forwardly to maintain tension on the filling end and to grip it against the furry substance as noted especially in the solid and dotted line positions in FIG. 3.

Instead of pivoting in a substantially horizontal plane, the hook may with equal effectiveness be caused to pivot in a substantially vertical plane and to move the filling toward the front of the loom. The hook may still be controlled by movement of the extractor arm merely by a slight vm'ation in the linkage therebetween.

While one embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, it is to be understood that the inventive concept may be carried out in a number of ways. This invention is, therefore, not to be limited to the precise details described, but is intended to embrace all variations and modifications thereof falling within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the claims.

We claim:

1. In combination in a loom for weaving, a bobbin feeding means for retaining and presenting for transfer to a loom shuttle a supply of bobbins having filling wound thereon an end of which is wound in the form of a tip bunch adjacent the bobbin end, transfer means for moving the leading one of said supply of bobbins into the shuttle upon call for replenishment, a tip bunch extractor movable endwise over the end of said leading bobbin, and a clamping plate pivotally mounted on said extractor and movable between an open position when said extractor encompasses the bobbin end and a closed position when said extractor is removed from the bobbin end.

2. In combination in a loom for weaving, a bobbin feeding means for retaining and presenting for transfer to a loom shuttle a supply of bobbins having filling wound thereon an end of which is wound in the form of a tip bunch adjacent the bobbin end, transfer means for moving the leading one of said supply of bobbins into the shuttle upon call for replenishment, a tip bunch extractor movable endwise over the end of said leading bobbin, means for holding said extractor in a withdrawn position for at least one pick to permit a following bobbin to move into transfer position, and a further means functioning only upon a failure of a bobbin transfer to retain said extractor in said withdrawn position until a transfer has taken place.

3. In combination in a loom for weaving, a bobbin feeding means for retaining and presenting for transfer to a loom shuttle a supply of bobbins having filling wound thereon an end of which is wound in the form of a tip bunch adjacent the bobbin end, transfer means for moving the leading one of said supply of bobbins into the shuttle upon call for replenishment, a member pivotally mounted adjacent the end of said leading bobbin, a combined gripping and clamping means attached to said mem; her, control means operable upon said call for replenishment to pivot said member away from said bobbin end thereby to cause said gripping and clamping means to remove and to retain said bunch, and a further means functioning only upon a failure of a bobbin transfer to retain said combined means in said withdrawn position until a transfer has taken place.

4. In combination in a loom for Weaving, a bobbin feeding means for retaining and presenting for transfer to a loom shuttle a supply of bobbins having filling wound thereon an end of which is wound in the form of a tip bunch adjacent the bobbin end, transfer means for moving the leading one of said supply of bobbins into the shuttle upon call for replenishment, a member pivotally mounted adjacent the end of said leading bobbin, a combined gripping and clamping means attached to said member, a cam-operated lever operable upon said call for replenishment to pivot said member away from said bobbin end thereby to cause said gripping and clamping means to remove and to retain said bunch, and a means for holding said gripping and clamping means in a withdrawn position for at least one pick to permit a following bobbin to move into transfer position, and a further means functioning upon a failure of a bobbin transfer to retain said gripping and clamping means in a withdrawn position for an additional period of time, said further means functioning in response to an indication from said transfer means.

5. The mechanism of claim 4 which includes means functioning upon removal of said bunch to maintain tension between said bunch and filling on said bobbin until said filling has been severed.

6. The mechanism of claim 5 wherein said last-mentioned means comprises a swingable hook member adapted to engage the filling end at a position between the bobbin end and said gripping and clamping means.

7. The mechanism of claim 4 wherein said combined gripping and clamping means comprises a pair of jaw members biased toward each other and defining an opening therebetween, a clamp pivoted at one of its ends and spring-biased toward said opening, and means on said clamp adapted to be inserted partially into said opening to retain said bunch after removal thereof from said bobbin.

8. The mechanism of claim 4 wherein said cam-operated lever includes a roller adjacent one end thereof, a cam rotatably mounted adjacent said roller, and means for moving said roller into and out of engagement with said cam.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,321,275 Barrell Nov. 11, 1919 2,872,948 Newbegin et al Feb. 10, 1959 2,892,470 Corneliusson et a1. June 30, 1959

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