US3543352A

US3543352A - Combing machine

Info

Publication number: US3543352A
Application number: US759394A
Authority: US
Inventors: Louis Vignon
Original assignee: Hispano Suiza Suisse SA
Current assignee: Hispano Suiza Suisse SA
Priority date: 1967-09-26
Filing date: 1968-09-12
Publication date: 1970-12-01
Anticipated expiration: 1987-12-01
Also published as: FR1604369A; DE1785348B2; CH478259A; DE1785348A1; GB1200287A; ES358273A1; CS160090B2; DE1785348C3; LU54537A1

Description

Dec. 1, 1970 VIGNON 3,543,352

COMBING MACHINE Filed Sept. 12, 1968 United States Patent 3,543,352 COMBING MACHINE Louis Vignon, Geneva, Switzerland, assignor to Hispano Suiza (Suisse) S.A., Geneva, Switzerland Filed Sept. 12, 1968, Ser. No. 759,394 Claims priority, applicationsLsgxemburg, Sept. 26, 1967,

Int. (:1. 601 19/20 US. Cl. 19232 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE And a rotation control continuously rotates this rack with a speed corresponding to a theoretical continuous rotation of the detaching cylinder at a speed of 1 z 2 per stroke of the rack.

This invention relates to combing machines, that is to say, in a general manner, to textile machines intended to ensure a purging operation (called combing) on a sheet of textile fibres (in particular long fibres such as wool fibres) generally prepared in the course of a preliminary carding operation.

It has already been proposed to make such machines comprise, for the supply and the evacuation of the treated sheet of fibres, at least one cylinder (qualified in the terms of the art as detaching cylinder") driven with an unsymmetrical oscillating movement whose amplitude in the direction of the evacuation of the treated sheet of fibres is greater than in the opposite direction, this detaching cylinder being frequently (in particular when the machine is intended for combing long fibres) mounted on a movable support driven with an alternating rectilinear movement perpendicular to the axis of this detaching cylinder.

Nevertheless, the control means hitherto envisaged for imparting to the detaching cylinder of the machine such an unsymmetrical oscillating movement had numerous disadvantages from the point of view of their cumbersomeness, their complexity, their reliability and their longevity; moreover some of these proposed solutions were incompatible with the mounting of the detaching cylinder on a movable support having an alternating movement.

The main object of this invention is to provide machines of the type indicated which fulfill the requirements of practice, and in particular, in which the disadvantages mentioned above of the prior combing machines, are mitigated.

According to the principal feature of this invention, a combing machine of the type in question comprising at least one detaching cylinder actuated by control means adapted to impart to said detaching cylinder an unsymmetrical oscillating movement whose amplitude A in the direction of the evacuation of the treated sheet of fibres is greater than its amplitude A in the opposite direction, is characterized by the fact that said control means comprise a helical pinion coupled in rotation with the detaching cylinder to be driven and mounted so as to be constantly in mesh with a cylindrical control rack, having helical teeth corresponding to the teeth of said helical pinion, whose axis is orthogonal to the axis of this helical pinion, said rack being mounted slidably and rotatably and being itself controlled simultaneously in translation and in rotation by two distinct control devices, namely, on the one hand, a translation control capable of imposing on the cylindrical rack a rectilinear reciprocating movement Whose amplitude is such that the corresponding theoretical movement of the detaching cylinder (move ment that the detaching cylinder would undergo if it were subjected solely to the action of this translation control, action modified possibly by the alternating movement of the support of said detaching cylinder in the case in which this support is driven with such an alternating movement) is a symmetrical oscillating movement having an amplitude equal to and, on the other hand, a rotation control capable of imposing on the cylindrical rack (which then acts in the manner of a tangent worm on the helical pinion with which it is constantly in mesh) a movement of continuous rotation whose direction corresponds to a rotation of the detaching cylinder in the direction of the evacuation of the sheet of fibres and whose angular speed is such that the corresponding theoretical movement of the detaching cylinder (movement that the detaching cylinder would undergo if it were subjected solely to the action of this rotation control) is a movement of continuous rotation having, for a time lapse equal to the duration of a single stroke (in one direction or the other) of the cylindrical rack under the action of its translation control, an amplitude equal to due to which, finally, under the conjugated and continuous (i.e. Without shocks) action of said translation control and of said rotation control, whose eifects are superimposed to generate a resultant movement of the helical pinion in mesh with the cylindrical rack, and hence to generate a resultant movement of the detaching cylinder, this latter movement is effectively an unsymmetrical oscillating movement of amplitude A in the direction of the evacuation of the sheet of fibres and of amplitude A; (less than the amplitude A in the opposite direction.

In any case, this invention will be able to be well understood with the aid of the following complementary description, as well as of the accompanying drawing, which complementary description and drawing are, of course, given merely by way of example.

The single figure of the drawing represents, in perspec tive and in a schematic manner, the control mechanism of the detaching cylinder of a combing machine established according to one embodiment of the invention.

This combing machine is intended for the combing of sheets of long textile fibres, for example of wool.

First of all, with regard to this machine in its overall aspect, 'but with the exception of the control means to be provided on this machine for actuating the detaching cylinder, this machine can be established in any appropriate manner with the only condition being that it comprise at least one detaching cylinder 1 preferably mounted on a support 1,, driven with an alternating movement shown on the drawing by the double arrow F, this alter nating movement being caused by any appropriate driving mechanism 30, for example of the rod and crank type.

In these conditions, it appears unnecessary to enter into any detail concerning the elements of the machine other than these control means for the detaching cylinder 1, since the principal feature of the invention is essentially directed towards the control means in question, which must be established in a manner to impart to the detaching cylinder 1 an unsymmetrical oscillating movement whose amplitude A in the direction of the evacuation of the treated sheet of fibres is greater than its amplitude A in the opposite direction.

In accordance with this principal feature which is illustrated in the drawing, the control means of the detaching cylinder 1 comprise a helical pinion 2 coupled in rotation, for example by a belt transmission 3, with the detaching cylinder 1 to be driven. The spindle 2 of this helical pinion 2 is carried by the support 1 of the detaching cylinder and this pinion is constantly in mesh with a cylindrical control rack 4 having helical teeth corresponding to the teeth of the pinion 2. This control rack 4 has its axis orthogonal to the axis of the pinion 2 and it is mounted so as to be able to slide and to rotate with respect to its axis. The control rack 4 is itself controlled simultaneously in translation and in rotation by two distinct controls, namely, on the one hand, a translation control (designated as a whole by the reference CT) capable of imposing on this rack 4 a rectilinear reciprocating movement whose amplitude is such that the corresponding theoretical movement of the detaching cylinder 1 is a symmetrical oscillating movement having an amplitude equal to taking into account the alternating movement of the support 1,, of this detaching cylinder 1, and, on the other hand, a rotation control (designated as a whole by the reference CR) capable of imposing on this rack 4 a movement of continuous rotation whose direction corresponds to a rotation of the detaching cylinder 1 in the direction of the evacuation of the sheet (counterclockwise in the case illustrated in the drawing) and whose angular speed is such that the corresponding theo retical movement of the detaching cylinder 1 is a movement of continuous rotation having, for a time lapse equal to the duration of a single stroke (in one direction or the other) of the cylindrical rack 4, an amplitude equal to In this manner, under the conjugated and continuous action of the translation control CT and of the rotation control CR, the rack 4 undergoes movements of translation and of rotation which are superimposed and which both have an influence on the resultant movement of rotation of the pinion of the helical wheel 2 which is influenced, in the direction of the extraction of th treated sheet, by the sum of the movement of translation and of the movement of rotation of the rack 4, which is translated, for the detaching cylinder 1, by a movement of rotation of ampliture A taking into account the alternating movement of the support 1,, and, in the opposite direction, by the difference of the movement of translation and of the movement of rotation of this rack 4, which is translated, for the detaching cylinder 1, by a movement of rotation (in the opposite direction to the preceding movement of rotation) of amplitude A (less than the amplitude A It is interesting to note that such a control of th detaching cylinder 1, not only is compatible with the rectilinear alternating movement of the support 1 of this detaching cylinder, but also permits this movement to be very easily taken into account; this movement only affects the arrangement of the translation control CT which must be such that the algebraic sum of the oscillating movement imposed by this single control on the detaching cylinder and of the oscillating movement of this cylinder resutling from the alternating movement of the support 1,, is a symmetrical oscillating movement of amplitude Needless to say, to actuate the translation control and the rotation control of the rack 4, any appropriate source of power can b used, for example hydraulic, pneumatic, electric, or againas will be supposed hereafter mechanical, in which case it is advantageous to subjugate both the translation control and the rotation control to a single drive shaft 5.

With regard now to the two controls in question, it can also be envisaged to constitute them by hydraulic, pneumatic or electric transmission devices, but it seems simpler to use-as will be supposed hereafterpurely mechanical transmission devices interposed between the drive shaft 5 and the rack 4 to provide the reduction necessary for effectively respecting the amplitude conditions li 2 and 1 2 2 mentioned in the principal feature of this invention.

Two particularly simple and advantageous embodiments of such translation and rotation controls, of mechanical nature, will now be indicated.

First of all, with regard to the translation control, it is realized, by mounting the rack 4 slidably and rotatably on a shaft 6, by fixing on the drive shaft 5 an eccentric plate 7 coupled by a rod 8 to a slider 9 mounted on a shaft 10 and rigid with an axial thrust bearing 11 in which one of the ends of the rack 4 can rotate, and, preferably, by providing means permitting the regulation of the amplitude of the reciprocating stroke of the rack 4 under the effect of this translation control, which means can be constituted by housing the articulation of the rod 8 on the plate 7 in a radial elongated slot 12 along which this articulation can be moved, then immobilized.

As for the mechanical rotation control, it can be constituted by making the drive shaft 5 drive, by the intermediary of a transmission comprising for example a belt 13, orthogonal gearing 14, a universal jointed shaft 15 and reversing pinions 16, and a toothed cylinder 17 oriented parallel to the rack 4, this toothed cylinder 17 being constantly in mesh with a pinion 18 angularly secured to the rack 4.

It is appropriate to note that means can be provided for modifying the transmission ratio of the rotation control, which means can be constituted, for example, by introducing into this control a ratio variator, or, again, by providing several replacement sets of reversing pinions 16 giving different transmission ratios.

It will be appreciated that, due to the possibility of sliding of the pinion 18 along the toothed cylinder 17, the movements of translation and of rotation of the rack 4 can take place simultaneously in a continuous manner.

Such control means for the detaching cylinder 1 have numerous and real advantages among which the following can be cited:

The actuation of the detaching cylinder 1 takes place in a continuous manner by the intermediary of controls of which all the members remain constantly in mesh, that is to say without the intervention of any shocks or any discontinuity in the operation of the transmission devices;

The inertia of the movable pieces used in the translation and rotation controls is relatively small, which permits high speed operation of the detaching cylinder 1;

The overall cumbersomeness of the control means for the detaching cylinder 1 is relatively small, which permits greater compactness of the ensemble of the machine; and

The detaching cylinder 1 can be mounted on a support driven with an alternating movement, which is advantageous for combining long fibres, in particular of wool.

Although this invention has been particularly described with reference to a particular embodiment, the invention should not be limited to that embodiment, since various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

What -I claim is:

1. A combing machine, comprising at least one detaching cylinder actuated by control means adapted to impart to said detaching cylinder an unsymmetrical oscillating movement whose amplitude A in the direction of the evacuation of the treated sheet of fibres is greater than its amplitude A in the opposite direction, wherein said control means comprises a helical pinion coupled to the detaching cylinder to rotate therewith, a cylindrical control rack, said pinion being mounted so as to be constantly in mesh with said cylindrical control rack, which rack has helical teeth corresponding to the teeth of said helical pinion and the axis of which rack is orthogonal to the axis of the said helical pinion, two distinct control devices, said rack being mounted slidably and rotatably and being itself controlled simultaneously in translation and in rotation by said two distinct control devices, a first of said distinct control devices being a translation control device capable of imposing on the cylindrical rack a rectilinear reciprocating movement, the amplitude of which movement is such that the corresponding movement which the detaching cylinder would undergo if it were subjected solely to the action of this transaction is a symmetrical oscillating movement having an amplitude equal tori- 2 Z and the second of said distinct control devices being a rotation control device capable of imposing on the cylindrical rack a movement of continuous rotation, the direction of which corresponds to a rotation of the detaching cylinder in the direction of the evacuation of the sheet of fibres and the angular speed of which is such that the corresponding movement of the detaching cylinder if it were subjected solely to the action of this rotation control, is a movement of continuous rotation having, for a time lapse equal to the duration of a single stroke of the cylindrical rack under the action of its translation control, an amplitude equal to wherein, under the conjugated and continuous action of said translation control and of said rotation control, effects of which are superimposed to generate a resultant movement of the helical pinion in mesh with the cylindrical rack, and hence to generate a resultant movement of the detaching cylinder, this latter movement is effectively an unsymmetrical oscillating movement of amplitude A in the direction of the evacuation of the sheet of fibres and of amplitude A which is less than the amplitude of A in the opposite direction.

2. A combing machine according to claim 1, including a support for carrying said detaching cylinder, said support being mounted to be driven with an alternating movement perpendicular to the axis of said cylinder, wherein said translation control is arranged in a manner to impart to the rack a reciprocating movement the amplitude of which is such that the alegbraic sum, on the one hand, of the oscillating movement of the detaching cylinder due to the alternating movement of its support, and on the other hand, of the oscillating movement of the detaching cylinder due to the reciprocating movement of the rack, is a symmetrical oscillating movement having an amplitude equal to 3. A combing machine according to claim 2, wherein the translation control and the rotation control are purely mechanical controls.

'4. A combing machine according to claim 3, including a common drive shaft adapted to be driven, and wherein both the translation control and the rotation control are drivingly connected to said common drive shaft to be driven thereby.

5. A combining machine according to claim 3, wherein the said translation control comprises an eccentric plate, a drive shaft, a rod, a slider and a slider shaft, said eccentric plate being fixed on said drive shaft and coupled by said rod to said slider which is mounted on said slider shaft, said slider being rigid with an axial thrust bearing in which one of the ends of the control rack can rotate.

6. A combing machine according to claim 5, wherein the translation control comprises means for regulating the amplitude of the stroke of reciprocation of the control rack, said regulation means being constituted by the housing of an articulation of said rod on said plate on a radial elongated slot along which said articulation can be moved, and then immobilized.

7. A combing machine according to claim 3, wherein the rotation control means includes a drive shaft, a transmission, a toothed cylinder and a further pinion, said drive shaft driving, by the intermediary of said transmission, said toothed cylinder which is oriented parallel to the control rack, said toothed cylinder being constantly in mesh with said pinion which is angularly secured to said rack.

8. A combing machine according to claim 1, wherein said translation control comprises means for regulating the amplitude of the stroke of reciprocation of the control rack.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 947,070 1/1910 Willis et al. l9223 FOREIGN PATENTS 571,733 9/1945 Great Britain.

DORSEY NEWTON, Primary Examiner