US3528460A

US3528460A - Detecting means for weft selecting means

Info

Publication number: US3528460A
Application number: US803184*A
Authority: US
Inventors: Earnest H Spearman
Original assignee: Wendell Mills Inc
Current assignee: Wendell Mills Inc
Priority date: 1969-02-28
Filing date: 1969-02-28
Publication date: 1970-09-15
Anticipated expiration: 1987-09-15

Description

p 1970 E. H. SPEARMAN 3,528,460

DETECTING MEANS FOR WEFT SELECTING MEANS Filed Feb. 28, 1969 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR EARNEST H. SPEARMAN B Q N m ATTORNHS p 15, 1970 I E. H. SPEARMAN 3,528,460

DETECTING MEANS FOR WEFTSELEGTING MEANS Filed Feb. 28, 1969 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 1/044 [i 5 SI Fl INVENTOR EARNEST H. SPEARMAN p 1970 E. H. SPEARMAN 3,528,460

DETECTING MEANS FOR WEFT SELECTING MEANS Filed Feb. 28, 1969 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Lfi mu [/8 :3 Ail 20 T INVENTOR Fl EARNEST H. SPEARMAN ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,528,460 DETECTING MEANS FOR WEFT SELECTING MEANS Earnest H. Spearman, Blacksburg, S.C., assignor to Wendell Mills, Inc., Blacksburg, S.C., a corporation of South Carolina Filed Feb. 28, 1969, Ser. No. 803,184 Int. Cl. D03d 47/38 US. Cl. 139336.4 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention includes a presentation mechanism employable with a shuttleless loom, wherein various selected wefts are presented to the rapier of the loom. Each weft source in preferably mounted with the lever operably afiixed to a solenoid. Upon the closing of a circuit as directed by the dobby mechanism to the solenoid, the position of the lever will be changed so as to present a particular weft thereon to the rapier. Integral to the circuit between the solenoid in its activating switch, is a circuit dependent upon the retraction number of the solenoid. In the event of malfunction due to improper orientation of the solenoid, the secondary circuit will be closed, causing the loom to shut down.

The present invention relates to a control for multiple weft presentation in shuttleless looms.

Various shuttleless looms have been known in the past. Such looms usually provide a rapier or gripper which passes through the shed of divided warp threads to draw a weft taken from a supply adjacent the shed.

Oftentimes it is desireable that various colors of weft be woven and various devices have been developed to present, in predetermined sequence certain of the wefts to the rapier. In order to accomplish such presentation the positioning of the weft must be correlated to the dobby or shedding mechanism on the loom.

The methods and mechanisms heretofore known for proper weft presentation have been generally mechanically oriented devices employing such devices as flexible cables, pulleys, pall and ratchet combinations or spring actuatable arrangements.

More recently electric or electro-mechanical arrangements have been developed however these devices have been generally expensive of manufacture and not readily adaptable for use with existing looms.

Mechanically oriented devices oftentimes reacted too slowly due to the time lapse caused in overcoming inertial forces. In addition, cable connections which in many devices acted as the connectors between the dobby mechanism and the weft presentation equipment were subject to wear, distortion or malfunction, requiring regular maintenance and/or constant adjustments.

Another problem related to proper weft presentation has been that of detecting the absence of proper weft alignment and shutting down the loom. I

Devices presently employed for such purpose generally deal with detection devices, oftentimes on the rapier itself adapted to react to the presence or absence of a weft on the rapier. While these devices serve an advantageous purpose they provide rather complex circuitry in order to determine the presence or absence of the dedesired weft. Additionally the various thicknesses of wefts may have an undesireable efiect on such mechanisms.

According to the present invention there is provided means employable with a shuttleless loom adaptable for presentation of various wefts wherein the weft presentation is electronically controlled and actuatable by the dobby mechanism. The loom is adapted to shut down in the event of a failure of response of the weft presentaice tion means, wherein the failure of a weft presenting member to react as directed will effect an immediate shutting down of the loom.

The present invention generally provides for the separate lever mounting of various wefts, with each lever operably affixed to a solenoid. Upon the closing of a circuit as directed by the dobby mechanism to the solenoid, the position of the lever will be changed so as to present the particular weft thereon to the rapier. Integral to the circuit between the solenoid and its activating switch is a circuit, dependent upon the retraction member of the solenoid. In the event of malfunction due to improper orientation of the solenoid the loom will shut down.

Although such novel feature or features believed to be characteristic of the invention are pointed out in the claims, the invention and the manner in which it may be carried out may be further understood by reference to the description following and the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a shuttleless loom. including the weft selecting control of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation, partly broken away of the dobby control of a loom including the weft control of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation partly broken away of a weft presentation control of the present invention showing the thread spools mispositioned for clarity.

FIG. 3a is a side elevation of an alternate weft presentation control of the present invention showing the thread spools mispositioned for clarity.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a circuit for one weft shown in non-actuated position.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the circuit of FIG. 4 actuated to present a weft.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the circuit of FIG. 4 actuated and shutting down the loom.

Referring now to the figures in greater detail, where like reference numbers denote like parts in the various figures.

In FIG. 1, a shuttleless loom 1 is illustrated. Various forms of shuttleless looms are presently in use however, certain general features are common to all such devices. The Warp threads 2 are generally presented at right angles to a rapier 3 or gripper, shown in FIG. 1 within the rapier mount 4. A weft thread supply and oftentimes a plurality of wefts 5 are spaced apart from shed formed by the ways threads 2. Weft presentation means 6 oftentimes referred to as a color motion, presents the selected warp thread 2 to the rapier .3 upon the passage of the rapier through the shedding. After the desired pick by the rapier 3 has been made the shed is changed. A shedding mechanism or dobby 7 is generally provided on looms for the production of fabrics of complicated structure, such as where various thicknesses or color of wefts are desired.

The dobby mechanism 7 is operably connected to the Weft presentation means 6 so as to correlate weft 5 presentation and the shedding as programmed through the dobby 7.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the present invention provides a switching mechanism 8 more particularly shown in FIGS. 4-6 within the dobby mechanism 7 actuatable by selective head jacks 9 within the dobby 7. The switching mechanism 8 includes a plurality of switches and safety switches generally referred to as 10 disposed so as to lie in the path of selected head jacks 9 when the head jacks 9 are actuated as programmed by the dobby 7 during the shedding operation. Thus existing dobby motions may be employed since a feature of a plurality of such devices presently in use includes reciprocating motions by levers, head jacks or the like, which may be employed as actuating means.

In FIGS. 1-3, four wefts 5 and four switching arrangements 10 are indicated. It is readily apparent that the number shown is merely illustrative and that the present invention may be employed for a dilfering number of wefts.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a conductor 11 leads from each switch 10 to the weft presentation means 6. Referring to FIG. 3, each conductor 11 is in circuit with a solenoid 12.

The solenoids 12 are mounted on the weft presentation means 6 and each affixed to a separate weft lever 13. The extension and/r retraction of each solenoid plunger 14 thus controls the positioning of the weft carried through eyelet 15 on the lever 13. As shown in FIG. 3, the interconnection between the plunger 14 and the lever 13 may be direct and if desired, the same may be a unitary device. In FIG. 3a the plunger 14 is connected through linkage 16 to the lever 13, which guides 17 properly disposing the linkage 16.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate sequentially the actuation of each of the solenoids 12. The switching arrangement hereinbefore referred to includes a primary switch S1 positioned so as to lie in an intersecting plane to the path of an actuated head jack 9 to close the primary circuit 18 to the solenoid 12.

Spaced apart from switch S1 and lying along an intersecting plane to the path of the actuated head jack 9 is the switch S2 of the secondary circuit 19. Switch S2 is so positioned as to be actuatable by the head jack 9 at a point along the path of the actuated head jack 9 subsequent to the closing of the circuit by the switch S1.

An additional switch, S3 is provided for the secondary circuit 19. Such switch S3 is controlled by the reciprocating plunger 14 of the solenoid 12, there being a mechanical linking, such as by arm 20 between the plunger 14 and the switch S3.

Thus as shown in FIG. 5, upon actuation of the head jack 9, the primary circuit 18 to the solenoid 12 is closed by the switch S1 and the plunger 14 is retracted. In retracted position the plunger 14 will orient the selected weft to the proper position to be picked by the rapier. Upon the return of the head jack 9 to its initial position, the switch S1 will open the primary circuit 18 and the plunger 14 will extend.

Upon retraction of the plunger 14, the switch S3 which is in closed position when the plunger 14 is extended, opens the secondary circuit 19.

The head jack 9 subsequent to actuating the switch S1 of the primary circuit 18, closed the switch S2 of the secondary circuit 19. However as shown in FIG. 5 the secondary circuit 19 remains open due to the opening of the switch S3 by the solenoid plunger 14 causing the switch S3 to break circuit.

However, if at any time, such as illustrated in FIG. 6, the solenoid 12 plunger 14 does not retract upon the closing of the switch S1, then both the switches S2 and S3 of the secondary circuit 19 will be closed, completing the secondary circuit 19 and shutting down the loom, as indicated in FIG. 6 by closing the circuit 19 through holding relay 21 on the loom by opening the relay 21. It

should be noted that holding relays or similar devices having the capabilities to so shut down the loom are generally found on existing looms and easily made a part of the aforedescribed circuitry.

Since each solenoid is separately controlled by its own primary circuit 18, in the event of malfunction of any of the weft presentation mechanisms, the loom will shut down.

The terms and expressions which are employed are used as terms of description; it is recognized, though that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.

Having thus described certain forms of the invention in some detail, what is claimed is: p

1. Means employable with a shuttleless loom for presentation of various wefts comprising a plurality of primary circuits, each said primary circuit having a related secondary circuit, each said primary circuit including a primary switch actuatable by the shedding means on said loom to close a circuit to a weft presentation member, and said secondary circuit including at least two switches; one of said secondary circuit switches adapted to be closed by said shedding means subsequent to the closing of said primary switch; the second of said secondary circuit switches operably linked to said weft presentation member and adapted to break said secondary circuit upon actuation of said weft presentation member, wherein said loom is adapted to shut down upon the closing of said secondary circuit.

2. The invention as claimed in claim 1 wherein each said weft presentation member, includes a solenoid.

3. The invention as claimed in claim 2 wherein the plunger on each said solenoid is linked to a weft presenting lever.

4. The invention as claimed in claim 3 wherein said linkage includes a flexible length.

5. The invention as claimed in claim 4 further including guide means for each said flexible length.

6. The invention as claimed in claim 1 wherein said shedding mechanism is a dobby including a plurality of moveable jacks and each said primary switch lies in an intersecting path with a predetermined number of said jacks.

7. The invention as claimed in claim 1 wherein said loom includes a holding relay and the closing of said secondary circuit opens said relay.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,977,996 4/1961 Ancet et al. 139----122 3,092,150 6/1963 Brimans et al. 139--370 3,095,911 7/1963 Dewas 139--370 3,237,656 3/1966 Haupt 139-122 3,282,303 11/1966 Ancet et al. 139-122 HENRY S. IAUDON, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.