US3490399A

US3490399A - Pattern displacement and adjustment device for stitching machines

Info

Publication number: US3490399A
Application number: US605933A
Authority: US
Inventors: Theodor Hesz
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: ARTHUR SCHMID AG
Priority date: 1966-01-06
Filing date: 1966-12-29
Publication date: 1970-01-20
Anticipated expiration: 1987-01-20
Also published as: DE1685038A1; FR1462908A; CH405054A

Description

Jan. 20, 1970 T. HESZ PATTERN DISPLACEMENT AND ADJUSTMENT DEVICE FOR STITCHING MACHINES Filed D80. 29, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.5

Theodor Hesz In'ven for.

Attorney T. HESZ Jan. 20, 1970 PATTERN DISPLACEMENTAND ADJUSTMENT DEVICE FOR STITCHING MACHINES Filed Dec. 29, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

Theodor Hesz lnvem'or.

T. HESZ Jan. 2o, 191o PATTERN DISPLACEMENT AND ADJUSTMENT DEVICE FOR STITCHING MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec. 29, 1966 Fig.9c

Fig.9b

Fig-9a Thgzodor Hes: mvemmr.

B34 Gi United States Patent 015cc 3,490,399 Patented Jan. 20, 1970 3,490,399 PATTERN DISPLACEMENT AND ADJUSTMENT DEVICE FOR STITCHING MACHINES Theodor Hesz, Vienna, Austria, assignor to Arthur Schmid, Romanshorn, Switzerland, .a corporation of Switzerland Filed Dec. 29, 1966, Ser. No. 605,933 Claims priority, application France, Jan. 10, 1966,

Int. Cl. Dosh 11/00, 21/00 US. Cl. 112118 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF DISCLOSURE A pattern-displacement and adjustment device for an automatic pattern-stitch sewing machine having a rotatable disk determining the basic pattern by the displacement of a guide body for the fabric which displaces same relatively to the needle, the device being interposed between the cam-follower plate and the fabric-guide arrangement and including a lever swingable about a fulcrum and articulatedly connected to the cam-follower plate and the fabric-guide arrangement; a threaded spindle or hydraulic-displacement mechanism serves to adjust the effective length of the lever by varying the distance between at least two of these points to adjust the stroke of the fabric-guide structure.

The invention refers to a pattern-displacement and adjustment device for an automatic pattern-stitch sewing or quilting machine.

Using such machines, quilted materials in the form of multilayer webs of cloth are stitched together in accordance with definite patterns forming a decoration for various branches of industry. The pattern is formed by the back-and-forth movement of the web of cloth beneath the needles. This operation is carried out by a cam or pattern disk turned by means of a step-switch mechanism through a small angle after every stitch, and a material guide moved back and forth by the disk in accordance with its shape. On this guide are mounted one or more material rollers, a guide plate for uniform material feed and at least two traction rollers which pull the material forward in rhythm with the stitches, i.e., in the cadence of operation of the latter, by the distance of one stitch at a time while the material presser foot is temporarily raised. Displacement or adjustment facilities for such machines already known include:

(A) Systems enabling insertion of a new pattern disk to achieve a new basic pattern or the insertion of a new and similar cam disk with only slightly smaller or larger reach to vary the pattern;

(B) Systems involving insertion or removal of needles (which may be arranged in a single row or a number of rows one behind the other);

(C) Systems enabling alteration of the intermediate gear stage which determines the number of stitches per revolution of the pattern disk; and

(D) Systems enabling alteration of the intermediate gear stage which determines the feed-advance length of the traction rollers.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a device which permits the size of the back-and-forth movement of the material guide for a given basic pattern to be adjusted (varied) or displaced continuously within certain limits.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described which permits a considerable saving in the number of basic pattern disks required and eliminates the need for disks which display only minor variations of reach for the same pattern.

The device in accordance with the invention is characterized by the fact that a lever capable of being pivoted about a fixed point is so mounted that it is joined by means of elements transmitting tension and pressure to the mat'erial guide and the push board; the junction points, and thereby the effective length of the lever arm, can be adjusted infinitel in relation to the fixed point by means of a threaded spindle during operation.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a part of an automatic stitching machine embodying the invention;

FIGS. 2-5 are diagrams showing various stitching patterns;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a portion of another stitching machine according to this invention;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a portion of a third stitching machine embodying the invention;

FIG. 8 is a similar view of a displacement device, according to the invention, mounted in a housing broken open; and FIlgICS. 9a-9c show diagrams of the device as shown in FIG. 1 shows only those drive portions of a patternstitch sewing machine material to the explanation of the invention. Reference numeral 1 identifies a cam plate which determines the basic pattern. After each stitch by the needles, after the latter have been withdrawn from the material and the material presser foot has released the material, the cam plate 1 is rotated through the angle mcrement oz. Cam follower rollers 3 rest against the circumference of the cam plate 1 and are attached to a push board 2 to displace the latter within its guides 4. A lever S may be pivoted about a fixed axis 6 and is articulatedly oined with the cam-follower push board 2 via a link or plate 7. The material-guide structure or frame 10, which is guided by means of the rollers 11, carries at its front a -material roller 13 joumalled on brackets 12 (one shown) and at its rear a pair of traction rollers 14 which are coupled to one another by means of the toothed wheels 15. The remainder of the drive to these rollers is omitted for the sake of simplicity.

At the side of the guide frame 10, a setting device 16 with a setting screw or threaded spindle 17, handwheel 18 andsliding piece or carriage 19 is fitted. By means of an articulated peg or pin 20 and a pusher bracket 21, the material-guide frame 10 is connected articulatedly wlth the pivotinglever S for displacement therewith. If the sliding piece 19, which forms part of a second link means, is displaced forwardly (or in the drawing, downwardly) by turning the handwheel 18, the effective length of the lever arm is increased and the material guide carnes out a larger travel than the pusher board 2. If the effective lever-arm length is reduced, the material guide then makes a smaller travel than the pusher board 2.

FIG. 2 shows one possibility of effecting adjustment by means of the new device. .Here a checked pattern is stitched by means of two offset rows of needles N N At the top, the pattern is faulty since the peaks or cusps of the zigzag pattern do not touch; in the middle the pattern is correct and at the bottom it-is faulty because the peaks intersect. This is approximately the range within which the device is effective as a corrector. The length of the lever arm can thus be so set that the peaks just touch. A facility of adjustment of this nature is highly desirable, as the machine reacts very sensitively to small variations in the material.

The same pattern is shown by FIG. 3. Here, however, two aligned rows of needles N N are in operation and the movement back and forth of the material guide is twice as large. The number of sources of error is thus reduced by a half. Only errors resulting from failure to touch or form intersections at F are possible.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show the effect of the new device on larger variation of the effective lever-arm length. The original square basic pattern M can be adjusted from a lozenge shape elongated vertically to one elongated horizontally. In FIG. 5 a wavy (curvilinear) line is stitched by means of a cam plate of another shape. Two rows of needles arranged in line one behind the other then produce circles as basic pattern M and these can be adjusted to form ovals elongated vertically or horizontally. Should, for example, the circles be intended to touch one another at their circumferences, they can at all times be made to do so by means of a small adjustment. When the device is used as a displacement device (and not as a corrector), with the pattern as shown in FIG. 4, vertically or horizontally elongated lozenges are stitched, and with the pattern as in FIG. 5 vertically or horizontally elongated ovals are made.

Instead of mounting the displacement elements 16-20 on the material-guide frame 10, I may fit them to the pusher board 2 so that the link plate 7 can then bear upon the material guide. FIG. 6 shows another variant of the system of FIG. 1. The adjustment of the effective lever-arm length is here carried out not at the material guide 60 but at the pivoted lever 61. In addition, in this case the plane in which the lever 61 moves lies approximately perpendicularly to the guide 60. The latter is guided in rollers 62 and connected by means of a link plate 63 to a pusher slide 64 mounted on the pivoting lever 61. By means of a setting screw 65 and the handwheel 66, the pusher is displaceable on the lever 61 and the effective lever-arm length which determines the stroke of guide 60 can be set at will. By means of a second link plate 67, the pivoting lever 61 is connected articulatedly with a pusher element moved by a cam wheel as shown in FIG. 1.

Additionally, in FIG. 7, a version is shown in which the pivoting lever takes the form of a pivoting hydraulic cylinder 70 and a piston 71. The cylinder is capable of being pivoted about a fixed axis or fulcrum 80. The piston 71 is connected articulatedly by means of a link plate 72 to a pusher element 73 moved back and forth by a cam disk. The cylinder is connected to the material guade 76 by means of an articulated slide 74 which can be displaced along a rod 75. The adjustment of the leverarm length is carried out by hydraulic means utilizing a setting piston 78 which is displaceable within a cylinder 77. A flexible hose 79 connects the two cylinders. Since the lever of adjustable length is connected to the driving element (pusher 73), a shortening of the effective leverarm length here results in an increase in the travel of the material guide. Instead of connecting the pivoting cylinder to the material guide by means of the

elements

74, 75, it is possible to use here, too, a plate similar to 63 in FIG. 6.

A displacement and correction device of this kind can also be located in a housing which may to advantage be filled with oil and which may also contain other drive elements, for example the step-switch mechanism. The latter will then carry out the step-by-step drive of the pattern disk for the lateral movements of the guide and of the material-feed rollers associated therewith. In FIG. -8, forexample, a housing of this kind is shown in simplified form. By means of rollers 82, the pattern disk 81 moves the carriage 83 in its slides 84 step-bystep (i.e., stitch by stitch) back and forth. The pattern disk and the components 82, '83, 84 are located above the cover of the housing so that the pattern disk can be changed easily. By means of a pin or bolt 85, which penetrates the cover of the housing by way of a slot (not shown), the pusher 83 drives the displacement mechanism located within the housing under oil.

This displacement mechanism comprises a lever 86, which is pivoted at 88 by means of a sliding sleeve 87. At the upper end, the lever 86 is hinged to the bolt 85, and at the lower end it is fitted into a second sliding sleeve 89 which is articulated at 91 with a sleeve 90. Sleeve is rigid with a push rod 92 which moves the material guide (not shown) back and forth. The step-by-step movement of this push rod is indicated by the dotted double arrow H, which also shows the travel. By means of a fork 93 on the pusher 94 the pivot bearing 88 of the sleeve 87 can be displaced. For this purpose the pusher 94 is fitted to two guide rods 95 and dispiaceable along these rods by means of a threaded spindle 96.

The threaded spindle 96 extends through the wall of the housing to the exterior through an oil seal and can be turned by means of the handwheel 97 during operation. An infinitely variable adjustment of the travel H is thus provided. This is indicated in FIGS. 9w-9c.

If the pusher 83 carries out a travel h, the travel H of the material guide will be equal to h when the pivoted bearing 88 is located at the center point between the bearing pins 85 and 91 (FIG. 9b). If it is brought nearer to pin 85, H will be greater than it (FIG. 9a), and if it is moved further away from pin 85, H will be less than h (FIG. 9c).

I claim:

1. In an automatic pattern-stitch quilting sewing machine having a plurality of stitching needles, a patterndetermining cam incrementally displaceable in the cadence of operation of said needles, a fabric-guide structure for displacement of a fabric relatively to said needles, and cam-follower means displaceable by said cam, the combination therewith of:

a lever swingable about a fulcrum point;

first link means articulated to said lever and defining a first pivot point while being operatively connected with said cam-follower means for displacement of said lever upon movement of said cam-follower means;

second link means defining a second pivot point along said lever and operatively connected to said structure for translating displacement of said lever into movement of said structure; and continuously-variable presettable adjustment means including a threaded member for shifting at least one of said points relatively to another of said points to thereby change the effective arm length of said lever, said continuously variable adjustment means including a threaded spindle mounted upon said lever, a carriage shiftable along said lever and threadedly engaged by said spindle for displacement along said lever upon rotation of said spindle, said carriage forming part of said second link means and defining said second pivot point While being articulated to said structure. 2. In an automatic pattern-stitch quilting sewing machine having a plurality of stitching needles, a patterndetermining cam incrementally displaceable in the cadence of operation of said needles, a fabric-guide structure for displacement of a fabric relatively to said needles, and cam-follower means displacea-ble by said cam, the combination therewith of:

a lever swingable about a fulcrum point; first link means articulated to said lever and defining a first pivot point while being operatively connected with said cam-follower means for displacement of said lever upon movement of said cam-follower means;

second link means defining a second pivot point along said lever and operatively connected to said structure for translating displacement of said lever into movement of said structure; and

continuously-variable presettable adjustment means including a threaded member for shifting at least one of said points relatively to another of said points to thereby change the eifective arm length of said lever, said continuously-variable adjustment means including a threaded spindle mounted upon said structure, a carriage threadedly engaging said spindle and shiftable thereby upon rotation of said spindle, said carriage forming part of said second link means, said second link means further comprising a slider shiftable along said lever and pivotally connected to said carriage at said second pivot point. 3. In an automatic pattern-stitch quilting sewing machine having a plurality of stitching needles, a patterndetermining cam incrementally displaceable in the cadance of operation of said needles, a fabric-guide structure for displacement of a fabric relatively to said needles, and cam-follower means displaceable by said cam, the combination therewith of:

a lever swingable about a fulcrum point; first link means articulated to said lever and defining a first pivot point while being operatively connected with said cam-follower means for displacement of said lever upon movement of said cam-follower means; second link means defining a second pivot point along said lever and operatively connected to said structure for translating displacement of said lever into movement of said structure;

continuously-variable presettable adjustment means including a threaded member for shifting at least one of said points relatively to another of said points to thereby change the eifective arm length of said lever; and

a housing, said cam-follower means being slidably mounted in said housing and said continuously-variable adjustment means including a threaded spindle mounted upon said housing, and a carriage threadedly engaging said spindle, said carriage forming part of said first link means and being articulated to said lever at said first pivot point.

4. In an automatic pattern-stitch quilting sewing machine having a plurality of stitching needles, a patterndetermining cam incrementally displaceable in the cadence of operation of said needles, a fabric-guide structure for displacement of a fabric relatively to said needles, and cam-follower means displaceable by said cam, the combination therewith of:

a lever swingable about a fulcrum point;

continuously-variable presettable adjustment means including a threaded member for shifting at least one of said points relatively to another of said points to thereby change the effective arm length of said lever, said lever being formed as a hydraulic piston-andcylinder arrangement of variable effective length and including a hydraulic cylinder defining with one of said link means the respective pivot point and a piston defining with the other of said link means the corresponding pivot point, said continuously-variable adjustment means including a setting piston-andcylinder arrangement for feeding hydraulic fluid to the piston-and-cylinder arrangement of said lever, and a threaded spindle for operating said setting arrangement.

5. In an automatic pattern-stitch quilting sewing machine having a plurality of stitching needles, a patterndetermining cam incrementally displaceable in the cadence of operation of said needles, a fabric-guide structure for displacement of a fabric relatively tosaid needles, and cam-follower means displaceable by said cam, the combination therewith of:

a lever swingable about a fulcrum point;

continuously-variable presettable adjustment means including a threaded member for shifting at least one of said points relatively to another of said points to thereby change the effective arm length of said lever, said fulcrum point being located between said pivot points and being shiftable therebetween to increase its distance from one of said pivot points and vice versa, said continuously-variable adjustment means including a threaded spindle, and a carriage thread edly engaging said spindle for displacement thereby upon rotation of the spindle while defining said fulcrum point.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,026,830 3/1962 Bryant et a1. ll279 3,203,388 8/1965 Parlin et al. ll279 X 3,213,813 10/1965 Chambers ll279 3,393,654 7/1968 Barnes ll279 2,499,473 3/1950 Elder 74-33 X 2,548,807 4/1951 Morgan et al. 74-41 X 2,665,650 1/1954 Lepow 112--102 3,168,064 2/1965 Fresard et al. 112102 MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner G. V. LARKIN, Assistant Examiner