US3112773A

US3112773A - Shedding mechanism for looms

Info

Publication number: US3112773A
Application number: US220815A
Authority: US
Inventors: Firing Osborne
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1959-07-13
Filing date: 1962-08-31
Publication date: 1963-12-03
Anticipated expiration: 1980-12-03

Description

Dec. 3, 1963 o. FIRING SHEDDING MECHANISM FOR LOOMS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original F lled July 13,1959

INVENTOR Dec; 3, 1963 o. FIRING 3,112,173

SHEDDING MECHANISM FOR LOOMS Original Filed July 15, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR ATI'ORN United States Patent 3,112,773 7 SHELDENG MEQHANEM FOR LOOMS Osborne Firing, Sherman Hill, Woodhury, Conn. Originai application July 13, 1959, Ser. No. 326,667, new Patent No. 3,366,703, dated Dec. 4, 1962. Divided and this application Aug. 31, 1962, Ser. No. 229,815

2 Claims. (Cl. 139-58) This invention is an improved shedding mechanism for looms and is a division of my co-pending application Serial Number 826,667, filed luly 13, 1959, now U.S. Patent No. 3,066,703.

The aforesaid application deals with an improved loom of the shuttleless or needle type, and the improved shedding arrangement of this application is particularly adapted to such loom. It especially contributes to the compactness and high speed capacity of such a loom.

The invention provides improved shed-forming mechanism with harnesses firmly supported independently of one another in cantilever fashion, closely adjacent each other and also very close to the needle path and which are operated from the main shaft by simple gear and cam arrangement which may be enclosed in an oil bath.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter more fully appear. In the accompanying drawings, I have shown for purpose of illustration, one embodiment which the invention may assume in practice. In these drawings:

FIG. 1 is a partial plan view showing the general arrangement of a loom incorporating the shedding mechanism of my invention;

FIG. 2 is a horizontal section on the line of the main drive shaft;

FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-section on line 33 of FIG. 2; and,

FIG. 4 is a vertical central section on line 4-4- of FIG. 3.

Various parts of the loom of the aforesaid application which are not a part of this invention have been omitted from the drawings and will be only briefly referred to in the description. The reference numerals correspond to those used in the parent application.

The working parts of the loom are supported by a boxlike casting or frame which is open at the bottom and which has a flat top wall 1,

sidewalls

2 and 3 and front and back walls 4 and 5, respectively. Journalled in suitable bearings in the

sidewalls

2 and 3 is the main drive shaft 6 which is power-driven through the pulley 7.

For operating part of the warp harnesses, there is a shaft r; journalled in bearings attached to the

sidewalls

2 and 3 which is driven by the gear 9 on the main shaft 6 meshing with the gear 16 keyed to the shaft 8, as best seen in FIG. 2. The ratio of this gearing is 1 to 2 so that the shaft 8 turns at half the speed on the main shaft.

On the opposite side, there is a second harness-operating shaft ii, also supported in bearings carried by the

sidewalls

2 and 3 and driven by gear 12 on the main shaft 6 and gear 13 on the shaft 11. 'The ratio of the gearing in this case is 1 to 4 so that the shaft 11 will turn at only one-quarter of the speed of the main shaft.

The weft laying needle 14 is attached to an arm 15 which curves toward the center line of the loom where it is connected to a vertical shaft 16. As described in the aforesaid prior application, the shaft 16 is oscillated about its own axis, and also back and forth so as to carry a double pick of the filler thread F through the shed, and between each change of the shed. When such double pick is projected through the shed, it is caught by a knitting needle 31 which is moved back and forth through suitable mechanism including a lever 32, at the proper time to pick up the loop of the weft thread and 3,112,773 Patented Dec. 3, 1963 "ice knit it into the loop of the preceding double weft, in a manner well-understood in the art.

The filler thread F comes from a spool or other suitable source, passes through an eye 46 of a light coil spring 47 and through the eyes 48 and 49 of the weft laying needle 14.

The warp threads W enter the loom from the left as seen in FIG. 1, and the finished tape T is fed out from the right side of the machine passing over a breast beam 1% and under a horizontal bar 57.

Warp Handling Considering first the harnesses which are operated by the slower running shaft 11, the desired number of jacks 59 (herein four such jacks) are in the form of vertical rods slidable through suitable bearings in the top wall of the frame located to one side of the path of the warp threads and carrying at their upper ends, U-shaped heddle frames 6% between which the desired number of heddles me supportedone such heddle being indicated at 61 in FIG. 3.

Each of the rods or jacks 59 is attached at its lower end to a rectangularly shaped slide 62, one of the slides 62 appearing in full and another, 62a in part. Each slide operates in a fixed groove 63 in the left sidewall 2 and a fixed groove 64 formed on a block 65 cast integrally with the frame. Each of the slides is operated in the desired timed sequence by suitable cams, one of which 66, appears in full and another 66a in part. Each cam operates between and bears at all times against wear plates 67 so that the harnesses are driven both upwardly and downwardly in a positive manner from the shaft 11. The cams are designed so as to provide a substantial dwell at each extreme position of the shed. Each of the slides has its own operating cam so that various types of weaves may be produced by arranging the cams to operate the harnesses as desired.

On the other side of the path of the warp threads, there are the desired number of jacks 68 (the drawing shows two) operated in a similar manner by slides 69 and cams 7 0 from the shaft 8 except, of course, that the up-anddown movement is twice as frequent as in the case of the first four jacks; thus the jacks 68 will move for each complete cycle of the weft laying needle and down for each next suceeding cycle. Twe of these jacks 68 closest to the weft laying needle carry frames 71 similar to the frames 69 and may support the desired number of heddles to provide the desired effect in the weave.

It should be noted that the heddle frames are rigidly held in cantilever fashion, each by a single jack, and the frames on one side extend between those on the other. Thus the frames may be spaced only half the distance apart as in other looms, resulting in a more compact arrangement, and one which lends itself better to high speed operation.

All of the gears, cams and bearings are grouped together in a compact manner within the frame-like housing. This housing, as seen in FIG. 3, can be set into a hollow container 91 which may be filled with oil up to approximately the level of the main shaft.

What i claim is:

1. In a loom of the shuttleless type having a frame with a top wall, shed-forming and changing means comprising two sets of vertical jacks, one on each side of the path of the warp threads and extending through said top wall, a heddle frame rigidly held in cantilever fashion by each of said jacks, the jacks of one set being staggered with relation to those of the other set so that the frames from one side project between those of the other side whereby the frames may be more closely spaced than the jacks, and means for operating said jacks located below the top wall of the frame.

2. The combination defined in claim 1 wherein said means for operating the jacks includes a vertically reciprocating slide attached to the lower end of each jack, upper and lower wear plates on each slide and a cam operating between said wear plates for positively actuating each j ack in both directions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Duckworthfi Nov. 9, 1869 Firing et a1 May 8, 1951 Jones et al. June 23, 1959