US3430313A

US3430313A - Heddle frame

Info

Publication number: US3430313A
Application number: US637377A
Authority: US
Inventors: Berhard Robert Koch
Original assignee: Grob and Co AG
Current assignee: Grob and Co AG
Priority date: 1967-05-10
Filing date: 1967-05-10
Publication date: 1969-03-04
Anticipated expiration: 1986-03-04

Description

B. R. KOCH HEDDLE FRAME March. 4, 1969 Filed May 10, 1967 United States Patent 3,430,313 HEDDLE FRAME Bernhard Robert Koch, Horgenberg, Switzerland, assignor t0 Grob & Co. Aktiengesellschaft, Horgen, Switzerland Filed May 10, 1967, Ser. No. 637,377 US. C]. 2846 Int. Cl. D03j 1/14; D03c 9/06 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A heddle frame consists of at least one upper and one lower frame stave, which are joined together at their ends by lateral supports. Two heddle carrying rods run along the insides of the frame parallel with the staves at a fixed distance from each other. In accordance with the nature and number of the warp threads and the characteristics of the fabric which is to be woven, an appropriate number of heddles of the correct thickness must be pushed onto the heddle carrying rods of the heddle frame.

The end loops of the heddles used in dobby weaving are generally threaded on to steel bands or cords when the heddles are supplied; the heddles are also usually stored on these rails or cords. Twin wire heddles are generally arranged on cords, while fiat steel heddles are normally placed on thin steel bands, these bands being used as the dispatch rails. The dimensions of the steel bands are chosen in such a way that they can be pushed through the end loops of the flat steel heddles at the same time as the heddle carrying rods of the heddle frame. When the heddles have to be pushed onto the heddle carrying rods of the heddle frame, or removed from these carrying rods again, the heddle carrying rods and the dispatch bands are caused to overlap slightly at one end. With a certain amount of skill it is then possible to push the heddles from the dispatch bands on the heddle carrying rods or vice versa, but of course the dispatch bands must be so thin that the end loops of the fiat steel heddles can pass over the overlapping portions of the heddle carrying rods and the dispatch bands. This arrangement obviously makes excessive demands on time. Furthermore, accidents often occur and the heddles fall off the rods, as a result of which even more time must be spent arranging the loose heddle on the rods.

An automatic drawingin machine is also known which extracts the heddles one by one from a magazine and after inserting the warp thread into the heddle eye, pushes the heddles on to the heddle carrying rods corresponding to a particular heddle frame which are connected to the automatic machine. A machine of this kind is, however, relatively expensive. No practical aids are known for removal of the heddles from the heddle carrying rods of the heddle frames. The dispatch strips are usually stored to again be used as supports for the heddles. For the reason mentioned earlier, the dispatch strips are generally made of thin strip steel and are therefore not very strong. Consequently they are not really suitable for transporting heddles which have been removed from their containers. The lack of strength of these strips also makes it difficult to clean and check the heddles, and also to carry out other related work. Thicker dispatch strips are not often used because they cannot be introduced into the end loops of the heddles simultaneously with the heddle carrying rods.

3,430,313 Patented Mar. 4, 1969 The invention relates to a device for the transfer of heddles from an auxiliary rod to the heddle carrying rod of the heddle framev and vice versa, the purpose of the device being to simplify this operation to a significant extent.

According to this invention a device for transferring heddles from an auxiliary rod to the heddle carrying rod of a heddle frame comprises a coupling piece having a wall of resilient material, two parallel edges of which are partially bent substantially at right angles in order to surround the narrow edges of the heddle carrying rod and the auxiliary rod which adjoins the latter at the end; the wall having projections which engage in recesses in the two rods.

A practical embodiment of the device in accordance with the invention will now be described in greater detail by way of example only, with reference to heddles having laterally open C shaped end loops of the type normally used for sliderless harnesses.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded side view of the coupling piece with one end of a heddle carrying rod and one end of an auxiliary rod,

FIGURE 2 is an exploded plan view of the coupling piece and rod ends shown in FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the rod ends joined by the coupling piece,

FIGURE 4 is a section along the line IVIV in FIG- URE 3, and

FIGURE 5 is a plan view corresponding to FIGURE 3 but showing a variant of the coupling.

FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 show the end of the heddle carrying rod 1, the auxiliary rod 2 and between them the coupling piece 3. The coupling piece 3 consists of a U-shaped spring plate 4 and a guide plate 5 which is joined to spring plate 4 and is in spaced parallel relation to the latter, The connection is established by means of a web plate 10, preferably of rectangular shape, which is secured at 12 to the inner face of the spring plate 4. The two horizontal longitudinal edges of the spring plate 4 are bent approximately at right angles and form an upper flanges 14 and a lower flange 15 (FIGURES 1 and 2). The tapering ends of the plate 4 have their short transverse edges bent down and form

projections

6 and 7. Close to their ends, the heddle carrying rod 1 and the auxiliary rod 2 each have a rectangular aperture 8 and 9, respectively. In addition, the end of the auxiliary rod 2 has a fork-shaped recess 11. One heddle 13 is shown arranged with its upper end loop on the auxiliary rod 2 (FIGURES 1 and 2).

FIGURE 3 shows how the ends of the heddle carrying rod 1 and the auxiliary rod 2 are pushed into the coupling piece 3. In the coupled conditon, the spring plate 4 together with its two

flanges

14 and 15 covers one flat side and the two longitudinal edges of the heddle carrying rod 1 of the auxiliary rod 2, The guide plate 5 engages the opposite fiat side of the

rods

1 and 2 in such a way that they are guided on all sides and can be held in the requisite position in relation to the coupling. The

transverse projections

6 and 7 engage in the apertures 8 and 9 in the heddle carrying rod 1 or auxiliary rod 2 and do not only hold the rods together which are pushed into the coupling 3, but also serve as runner-up tongues for the heddles. When the two rods are forcefully pulled apart or the auxiliary rod 2 is pulled away, the

projections

6 and 7 spring out from the apertures 8 or 9, thus breaking the connection to coupling piece 3. The forkshaped end of the auxiliary rail 2 is pushed over the web plate 10, so that the latter enters the recess 11 and ensures that the auxiliary rail 2 is properly guided and aligned with the heddle carrying rod 1.

FIGURE 4 shows that the

flanges

14 and 15 of the U-shaped spring plate 4 project slightly beyond the opposite fiat side of the rods 1 (FIGURE 3) and 2. When the heddle or its end loop 13 shown in FIGURE 4 is pushed from the heddle carrying rod 1 on the auxiliary rod 2 or vice versa, the heddle gradually runs on to the spring plate 4 and is lifted away on its entire periphery from

rod

1 or 2. The heddle is then guided by the coupling piece 3 and then is transferred gradually to the

other rod

2 or 1. It is also possible to provide a recess in the end of the heddle carrying rod 1 so that, like the auxiliary rod, it can act in conjunction with the correspondingly extended web-plate 10 of the coupling piece 3. In a further practical embodiment, the coupling may be secured to the auxiliary rod 2, e.g. by spot Welding. Connection to the heddle carrying rod 1 is also conceivable. As shown in FIGURE 5. the guide plate may be of resilient design and have extensions 5a which engage in the apertures S or 9. In this design, the extensions 5a, bent approximately at right angles, protect the heddle carrying rod 1 or the auxiliary rod 2 against longitudinal displacement. The extension 6a of the guide plate 4 which also enters the recess 8, then simply acts as an approach tongue for the heddles 13 in order to bridge the impact between

rods

1 and 2. It would also be possible to provide extensions 5a and 6a for One side of the coupling piece only, e.g. the side which is to be coupled with the auxiliary rail 2, while the other side of the coupling is provided with a projection in accordance with FIGURE 3. Consequently, in the event of sudden release, only the projection 6 is withdrawn from the aperture 8 in the heddle carrying rod 1. The coupling thus remains linked to the auxiliary rod 2, but can be removed if necessary.

The coupling device represents a new auxiliary means which eliminates the need for difficult manual work. The heddles can be transferred from the heddle carrying rods of the heddle frames to the auxiliary rods and vice versa without the need for special experience or skill. Known types of heddle frame can still be used, the only requirement being that apertures 8 must be provided in the heddle carrying rods close to their ends; this involves no special difliculty. If apertures are also provided in the dispatch bands, these can also be connected to the auxiliary rods using the coupling in accordance with the invention. In a similar manner, the auxiliary rods may be connected up to enable the heddles to be transferred onto the magazine rods of automatic drawing-in machines.

This coupling enables auxiliary rods with an adequate cross-section and the requisite degree of rigidity to be used. In this way cleaning, inspection, transport and storage of the heddles are facilitated. The use of longer auxiliary rods also becomes possible. For the sake of clarity it should be emphasised that commonly used fiat steel heddles with C-shaped end loops and with a distance of 13 inches between the end loops assuming a crosssection of 5.5 x 0.3 mm. weigh 2 kilogrammes per 1000 heddles. Arranged next to each other, these heddles only occupy a length of about 330 mm., measured over the end loops, on the auxiliary rods, It is easily possible to arrange heddles weighing more than 4 kg. on a pair of transport rods with a length of 700 mm.

Finally it should also be emphasised that this coupling can be manufactured cheaply. No complicated shape is required for the ends of the heddle carrying rods. Damaged couplings can be replaced more quickly than heddle carrying rods used in heddle frames. It is no longer necessary to remove the heddles together with the heddle carrying rods from the heddle frame. Consequently the related disadvantages, e.g. more expensive design of the heddle frame and rods of different length as a function of the width etc. can be avoided.

What I claim is:

1. A device for guiding and transferring heddles from an auxiliary rod to the heddle carrying rod of a heddle frame and for guiding and transferring heddles from said heddle carrying rod to said auxiliary rod, said device comprising an auxiliary rod having parallel fiat sides adapted to have threaded thereon a plurality of heddles, a heddle carrying rod also having parallel flat sides arranged with one end in alignment with one end of said auxiliary rod, and a coupling piece connecting said two ends of said rods, said two ends of said rods being each provided with an aperture and said coupling piece comprising a longitudinal spring plate provided at its ends with angularly bent projections for entering said apertures in said rods when the latter with their ends are pushed together with one flat side of said rods in engagement with said spring plate, said coupling piece and said ends of said rods in their coupled condition having a cross-section which readily permits the end loops of the heddles to pass over it when the heddles are slidably guided and transferred from one of said rods to the other.

2. A device according to claim 1, in which the longitudinal edges of said spring plate are provided with angularly bent flanges which form guides for said ends of said rods and engages the longitudinal edges of said rods when one flat side of said rods is in engagement with said spring plate.

3. A device according to claim 2, including a rectangular web plate attached to the center of said spring plate between the angularly bent flanges thereof, at least one of said rods having a recess in one end which receives said web plate for securely guiding and holding said one rod in alignment with the other rod.

4. A device according to claim 2, including a rectangular web plate attached to the center of said spring plate between the angularly bent flanges thereof, at least one of said rods having a recess in one end which receives said web plate for securely guiding and holding said one rod in alignment with the other rod, the thickness of said web plate being substantially as great as the thickness of said axially aligned rods, and a guide plate attached to the outer face of said web plate and having portions engaging the fiat sides of said rods opposite the flat sides thereof which are engaged by said spring plate,

5. A device according to claim 2, including a rectangular Web plate attached to the center of said spring plate between the angular bent flanges thereof, at least one of said rods having a recess in one end which receives said Web plate for securely guiding and holding said one rod in alignment with the other rod, the thickness of said web plate being substantially as great as the thickness of said axially aligned rods, and a guide plate attached to the outer face of said web plate and having portions engaging the flat sides of said rods opposite the flat sides thereof which are engaged by said spring plate, said guide plate being provided at its ends with resilient extensions the extreme ends of which are bent at substantially ring angles to the guide plate proper, said bent extreme ends entering into said apertures in the ends of said rods when said rods are united with said coupling piece.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 637,790 11/1899 Hinkle et al. 287108 953,506 3/1910 Baum 287108 1,009,050 11/1911 Cote 13992 2,017,210 10/1935 Kirsch 287-65 X 3,121,936 2/1964 Meierhofer 28--46 FOREIGN PATENTS 215,100 6/ 1941 Switzerland.

JAMES KEE CHI, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3 ,430 ,313 March 4 1969 Bernhard Robert Koch It is certified that error appears in the above identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

In the heading to the printed specification, between

lines

5 and 6, insert the following:

Claims priority, application Switzerland, May 11, 1966, 6,832/66 Signed and sealed this 21st day of April 1970.

(SEAL) Attest:

Edward M. Fletcher, Jr. E.

Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents

Claims

2. A GUIDE PIECE 5 SPACED FROM THE PLATE 4 ENGAGES WITH THE OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE RODS 1 AND 2 TO THE PLATE.