US3604467A - Weft nipper for circular loom - Google Patents

Abstract

Weft nipper for a circular loom comprising an oscillating arm overhanging the path of the weft-drawing devices, said oscillating arm carrying, at its end, a gripping means actuated through a scissors device carried by said oscillating arm, by a rod fixed to a slide contacting an oscillating cam pivoted on a fixed support.

Description

United States Patent [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 4/1968 Payne..1........................

[72] inventor Armand Malchair Herstal, Belgium [21 Appl. No. 827,588

[22] Filed May 26, 1969 [45] Patented Sept. 14, 1971 [73] Assignee Peltzer & Fils S.A. societe anonyme Verviers, Belgium [32] Priority May 30, 1968 [33] Belgium ABSTRACT: Weft nipper for a circular loom comprising an M 0 0 L R A L w mm F m FW m D u mm h C W5 4 b oscillating arm overhanging the path of the weft-drawing [521 (LS. 139/13 i said Oscillating arm y g, at its a pp g 003d 37/00 means actuated through a scissors device carried by said oscil- [50] Field of 139/13- lating arm, by a rod fixed to a slide contacting an oscillating cam pivoted on a fixed support.

PATENTED SEP14l97| 3,604,467

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WEFI NIPPER FOR CIRCULAR LOOM In my US. Pat. No. 3,422,858, I have disclosed a new device for circular looms, intended for bringing the weft threads, in accordance with the fabrics being made, into the trajectory of weft-drawing devices moving circularly and bringing the picks in the correct lengths and at the correct positions into the successive sheds. Such weft nipper is fed with weft threads by a selecting device in accordance with the fabrics being manufactured.

The weft nipper forming the object of the said patent comprises substantially the combination of a support in the form of a crosspiece extended by an oscillating arm overlapping the path of the weft-drawing devices, said oscillating arm carrying endwise a gripping device proper. The support in the form of a crosspiece carries the mechanism inducing the oscillating movements ofthe oscillating arm, while the latter carries the mechanism inducing the closing or the opening movement of the jaws of the gripping device. The latter comprises a vertical tubular guide engaged by two telescopic rods each terminated at their lower ends by a jaw, said telescopic rods engaging upwardly a scissors device actuated according to said patent by an electromagnet the circuit of which was controlled by the combination of a photoelectric cell, an energizing lamp and a screen carried by the rotating equipment of the loom.

Owing to the continuously increasing performances of the so equipped loom, it has been practically observed that some difficulties could arise with such electromechanical control mechanism, principally in consideration of the response time of the electromagnets, said time varying additionally in a rather substantial manner from one electromagnet to the other.

It is an object of the present invention to prevent such drawbacks by providing a purely mechanical system for actuating said jaws, said system being perfectly synchronized with the angular shiftings of said oscillating arm.

Said system may be defined as a system comprising the combination of a slide moving in a guide integral with said oscillating arm, a rod connecting said slide with said scissors device acting upon said telescoping rods, a finger integral with said slide, an oscillating cam pivoted on said stationary support and resilient means acting upon said slide so that said finger may follow the profile of the oscillating cam during the angular shiftings of said oscillating arm.

The features and the advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description of an embodiment thereof given by way of illustration and without any limitation, reference being made to the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic plane view of a circular loom having three weaving stations each equipped with a weft nipper according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a radial half section on the line II--II of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged plane view of the weft nipper indicated at F in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the portion indicated at F, in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a section along the line V-V of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the head of the weft nipper indicated at F, in FIG. 5;

FIGS 7, 8 and 9 represent sections respectively along the lines VII-VII, VIII-VIII and lX-IX of FIG. 6;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of the portion indicated at F in FIG. 3;

FIG. 11 is a vertical section according to the arrow F in FIG. 10;

FIGS. 12 to 15 represent sections respectively along the lines XVI-XVI to XXII-XXII of FIG. 10.

In FIGS. 1 and-2, there are shown, in a summary way, the essential elements of the loom using the weft-nipping device according to the invention, indicated at F3, namely the main frame 1, the beams 2, the sheets of warp threads 3, the heddle frame units 4, the-selector 5, the weft nippers 6, the drawing rollers 7, the rotating equipment 8 and its general driving mechanism 9.

The main frame 1 will be arranged according to the number of sections forming, in a sense, a complete weaving unit, in the present case three, enabling three fabrics to be woven independently of each other and of a quality and in designs which may be the same or different.

This main frame will also be arranged so as to be able to carry in a perfectly stable manner all the fixed and moving elements of the loom as well as the beams and the fabric, with their respective unwinding and-winding mechanism. There is also shown, supported upon said main frame 1 an annular platform 10, enabling the loom to be permanently overseen, and permitting easy access to its principal mechanisms.

The beams 2 will be arranged in the conventional manner on drums that can be readily engaged and disengaged respectively from their support, shown diagrammatically at 11, these supports as well as the unwinding mechanisms (not shown) for the beams being also known per se.

The sheets 3 of warp threads are, in the present case, returned by return drums and support elements 12-13-14-15- 16, such that said warp threads always have a practically constant tension. The warp threads then pass into the shed device shown schematically at 4, and operated by a suitable heald mechanism (not shown).

The weft-drawing device shown schematically at 6 moves in the shed, after which the fabric is compressed and feeds the winder 7 in known manner. Such a combination forming, as it were, a loom in itself, is positioned around the longitudinal axis of the loom in a symmetrical manner, and there is maintained between them a gap in which are arranged the mechanisms of the selectors, the weft nipper, the selvedgeforming unit and the other auxiliary devices. In the example shown schematically in FIGS. 1 and 2, the circular loom has been divided into six angular zones covering, alternatively, a zone of 30 and indicated at A and B in FIG. 1. The zones A correspond to the selecting and preparing zones for the weft threads, while the zones B correspond to the weaving zones proper.

The object of the invention concerns more particularly the weft-nipping device shown schematically at F3 and also being positioned in said zones A.

This weft-nipping device comprises two essential parts: on the one hand, a crosspiece 17, with its mechanism for imparting alternative angular movements, and the gripping head 18 mounted at the end of said crosspiece. The crosspiece 17 is, in this case, comprised of a profiled horizontal arm 19 carried, by the bolts 20, on the main frame 1 of the loom (FIGS. 3 and 5.

Towards its rear end, as best shown in FIG. 5, this arm is traversed by a vertical shaft 21 supported on roller bearings 22 and extending beyond the upper plane of said arm and carrying on this projecting portion a pulley 23 the hub of which butts against a cap 24 fixed to said shaft 21, in this instance by a screw 25. The pulley 23 which is hollow, contains a spiral return spring 26, one end of which is fixed at 27 to said pulley, while the other end is fixed to a pin 28, integral with said arm 19. The shaft 21 is connected by a sleeve 29 and a key 29' held by screws 30 to a second lower coaxial shaft 31. The latter at its lower end is mounted on a roller bearing 32, housed in the corresponding portion of a tubular support 33 fixed, by any appropriate means, to a small crosspiece 34, which is itself connected firmly to the main frame 1 of the loom by means of screws 35. On the lower projecting end of the shaft 31, there is keyed, by means of a pin 36, a lever made up of two parts 37-35 interconnected by a screw 39, in an arrangement such that the length of this lever is fully adjustable. The free end of the latter serves as a bearing for the shaft 40 of a roller 41, said shaft being held in position by a screw 42. This roller is permanently urged by the action of said spiral spring 26against a cam 43 integral with the rotating equipment 8. This cam 43 can either be developed right around said rotating equipment 8, in the present case in the form of 12 identical and equidistant protuberances, or there can be fitted on said moving equipment 8 twelve separate cams which are, however, also of the same profile and equidistant from each other.

The above-mentioned pulley 23 may also, for the conditions of control, be formed in two parts joined together by screws 44 in such manner that the two parts constituting the pulley can be adjusted angularly.

At the other end of the above-mentioned profiled arm 19 there is fixed, by a screw 45, a shaft 46 extending upwards. On its projecting part there is supported, through the intermediary of roller bearings 47, a pulley 48 of the same diameter as the above-mentioned pulley 23. This pulley 48 is surmounted by a base 49, fixed there by bolts 50 and also housing roller bearings 51 upon which is supported the the upper portion of the above-mentioned shaft 46.

Finally, on the same arm 19, between said pulleys 23-48, there is secured, by means of a nut 52, a shaft 53 upon which, through roller bearings 54, is freely supported a third pulley 55. An endless metal strip 56 is supported on these three pulleys 23-48-55 and is fixed to the outer pulleys by the bolts 57-58 respectively. The shaft 53 of the intermediate pulley 55 which forms, in this arrangement, a tensioning device, is engaged in an oblong orifice 59 cut in said arm 19, which enables the shaft 53 to be displaced at the appropriate time, in order to control and ensure the required tension in the endless metal strip 56.

The head 18 is carried at the end of the arm 19 by the above-mentioned base 49. This head is comprised, in the present arrangement, of an arm 60, which preferably will form an integral piece with said base 49, or can be fixed thereto. The free end of said arm 60 carries a tubular guide 61, the bore 62 of which is extended to the two ends of said guide 61 by passages 63-64 respectively, of rectangular cross section. Engaged in said guide 61 by a light friction fit is a rod 65, having a Ushaped section and having its lower end profiled in such manner as to form one of the jaws 66 of the weft nipper, the second jaw 67 forming the lower part of a second rod 68 engaging gently by friction the first rod 65 (FIG. 8. These two mutually interengaged rods 65-68 are simultaneously guided by the above-mentioned tubular element 61, as well as in their lower projecting parts by the engagement of the two free ends of a peg 69 integral with the first rod 65 in an oblong orifice 70 cut for this purpose in the second rod 68 (see also FIG. 9).

The above-mentioned jaws 66-67 are directed forwardly or towards the outside in relation to the overall arrangement of this weft nipper mechanism. In their upper parts each of said rods 65-68 has an orifice 71-72 respectively. Over a large part of its height, said rod 68 can be hollowed out as shown at 73, with a view to reducing the dead weight.

In each of the above-mentioned orifices 71-72 there is engaged the profiled end 74-75 forming part of a cranked lever 76-77 respectively. These two cranked levers are, on the other hand, engaged between the two sideplates 78-79 of a head 80 having a U-shaped section and secured, by means of a screw 81, to the end of a rod 82 (FIG. 4). The sideplates 78-79 each have a medial oblong opening 83-84 respectively, the longitudinal axis of which is vertically disposed, and two outer oblong openings 85-86 and 87-88 respectively, the longitudinal axis of each of which is horizontally disposed. The levers 76-77 carry near their most adjacent parts, the ends of the shafts 88-89 respectively engaged by their free end in the above-mentioned medial oblong orifices 83-84. Said head 80 so arranged is inserted in a U-shaped support 91 fixed in the underlying part of said arms 60 by means of a screw 92 and of pegs 93-94. The support 91 has a U-section, the two limbs 95-96 of which are spaced apart by a distance very slightly in excess of the length of the shafts 89-90, in such manner that said head 80 may slide therein under gentle friction.

Opposite said outer oblong openings 85-86 and 87-88, the cranked levers 76-77 are each traversed by a shaft 97-98 respectively, which are supported on said limbs 95-96.

The other end of the actuating lever 82 is screwed in a slide 99 shifting in a slide-way 100 screwed through its lower face 101 on said base 49 by means of screws l02 and 103. This slide 99 is extended by a rod 104 provided with a collar 105 and extending between the legs 106 and 107 (FIG. 20) of a second slide 108 which is also housed in said slideway The relative movements between said two slides are limited by projections 109 and 110 at the ends of said legs 106 and 107 respectively forming stops for the collar 105. The legs 106 and 107 have each near the latter a shoulder 112 and 113 respec-' tively. The shifting of theslide 99 towards the slide 108 is controlled by a spring 114 (F IG.'21) surrounding said rod 104 and bearing upon collar and should 112 and 113. Projections 109 and serve as an abutment for the collar 105 to limit the travel of slides 99 and 108 away from each other. The projections form a part of the slide 108. I I

The pressure for closing the jaws 66 and 67 may be adjusted by means of a spring 1 15 surrounding rod 82 and bearing upon slide 99 as well as upon the annular base of a plug 116 traversed axially by rod 82 and screwed in a projection 117 of base 101 of said slide-way 100 (see also FIG. 16).

In order to prevent the slide 99 from getting out from the slideway 100, there is provided a stop consisting of two fingers 118 and 119 and a small plate 120 screwed on the base 101 of the slideway through screws 121 and 122 (FIGS. 10 and 16). The spring 114 is stronger than the spring 115. The shoulders 112 and 113 serve as a bearing surface for the spring 114. They also form a part of the slide 108. The fingers 118 and 1 l9 prevent the slide 99 from leaving the slideway 100 (together with plate 120). They form a part of the slideway 100.

At its rear end, i.e. the farthest from slide 99, the slide 108 is provided with a rod 123 extending vertically downwardly in the housing 1240f a case 125. The brackets 126 and 127 of the latter are secured through screws 128 and 129 on a plate 130 carried by said profiled arm 19 (FIGS. 10, l 1 and 12).

The bottom 131 of the housing 124 has a recess 132 (FIG. 15) in the bottom of which is provided a blind hole 133 (see also FIG. 11). A pivot 134 engages the latter, said pivot carrying, near its upper end, a cam 135 extending in the housing 124 (FIGS. 13 and 14). The rotation of the pivot 134 is counteracted by a blade spring 136 situated in said recess 132 and one end of which engages the pivot 134, the other end engaging a groove 137 provided therefor in the wall of said recess 132 (FIG. 15). Said blade maintains normally the bevelled end 138 of cam 135 against a wall of the housing 124. The pivot 134 supports the cam 135 and one end of the spring 136; it may rotate or oscillate, as shown by dotted lines in FIG. 14.

The housing 124 is permanently closed by a lid 139 integral with the lower face of base 101 of the slideway 100 whatever the angular position occupied by the latter may be (FIGS. 10 and l 1).

The operation of the above-described device is very simple. Normally, the jaws 66 and 67 are closed, the slides 99 and 108 being at the extreme rear position in the slideway 100 as shown in FIG. 10 and the rod 123 being almost applied against the wall of the housing 124 (FIGS. 5 and 14) under the action of the spring 115, the closing of the jaws 66 and 67 preventing however thefree contact between rod 123 and the wall of housing 124.

Assuming that said jaws are closed on a thread presented by the selecting device 5, an angular movement is imparted to the arm 60 to bring the jaws from the gripping position P1 to the presenting position P2 (FIG. 3), thereby leading the selected weft thread to extend perpendicularly with the trajectory of the weft-drawing devices 6. This angular movement is obtained under the section of cam 43 upon roller 41 the shifting of which drives pulley 23 and, accordingly the strip 56, the pulley 48 and the arm 60. During this angular shifting of pulley 48 and, accordingly, of slideway 100, the rod 123 remains in close vicinity of the front wall of housing 124 of the fixed case 125. Near the end of its shifting, the rod passes under the end 138 of cam 135 which is thereby lifted against the blade spring 136 as indicated in dotted lines in FIG. 14. As soon as rod 123 has passed beyond end 138 of cam 135, the latter comes back to its initial position.

As soon as a weft-drawing device 6 has laid a certain length of picks in the shed, an interruption in the cam 43 makes it possible to bring roller 43 back to its initial position under the action of spring 26, the jaws 66-67 being thereby brought from position P2 towards position P1. From the outset of this shifting, the rod 123 raises progressively upon cam 1135,

thereby initially shifting the slides 108 and 99 together, until the slide 99 contacts the stop 118-119, the spring 114 being then compressed, so that the slide l08 comes nearer to the slide 99. The simultaneous shifting of said slides opens jaws 66 and 67, whereas the subsequent shifting of the slide 108 compensates the difference of movement amplitude necessary for actuating the rod 82 and the slide 108.

As soon as the rod 123 reaches the end of cam 135, the spring 1 14 repels firmly the slide 108 until the projections 109 and 110 thereof engage collar 105, both slides being then repelled together by the spring 115 until the rod 123 comes in close vicinity of the front wall of the housing 124. The jaws 66 and 67 are then closed upon a weft thread presented by the selecting device 5 and they keep the rod 123 spaced from the wall of the housing 124.

The respective length of the housing 124 and the cam 135 is calculated in accordance with the angular shifting of rod 123 about shaft 46 in such manner that the closure of the said jaws is always effected at P1 and the opening thereof, at the outset of the shifting from P2 towards P1.

The above-described mechanism, which is very simple and very compact, allows a close control of the jaws of the weft nipper, whatever the weaving speed may be. In addition, it is substantially foolproof and it operates in perfect synchronism with the control of the oscillating arm.

It is apparent that numerous modifications may be brought to the a above-described device without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a circular loom having rotary equipment and weft drawing devices, a weft-nipper, means mounting said weftnipper including a crosspiece mounting at one end an oscillating arm overhanging the path of the weft drawing devices, said oscillating arm mounting at its other end a gripping means including a vertical tubular guide, two telescopic rods carried by said tubular guide and having lower and upper ends, said lower ends of said rods each forming a gripping jaw while said upper ends of said rods engage a scissors device carried by said oscillating arm, the improvement comprising means actuating said scissors device including a rod fixedly mounted at one end to a slide moving in a guide mounted integral with said oscillating arm, resilient means acting to urge said slide in one direction, said slide being provided with a finger, a cam pivotally mounted upon a fixed support along the path of travel, said oscillating arm moves said finger so that said finger follows the profile of said cam during its movement to the opposite direction, thereby causing said gripping jaws to move between open and closed positions.

2. Weft nipper according to claim 1, characterized in that said slide is in two parts, namely a first slide integral with said rod and a second slide carrying said finger, the relative movements of said both slides being limited by stops.

3. Weft nipper according to claim 2, characterized in that a spring is disposed between said slides, another spring being provided between the first slide and a fixed part of said guide equipped with means for adjusting the tension of said spring, the latter determining the pressure for closing the said jaws.

4. Weft nipper according to claim 1, characterized in that I the said finger extends in a housing of a fixed case, said oscillating cam pivoting near one of its ends upon bottom of the said housing and being provided with a return spring.

Claims (5)

1. In a circular loom having rotary equipment and weft drawing devices, a weft-nipper, means mounting said weft-nipper including a crosspiece mounting at one end an oscillating arm overhanging the path of the weft drawing devices, said oscillating arm mounting at its other end a gripping means including a vertiCal tubular guide, two telescopic rods carried by said tubular guide and having lower and upper ends, said lower ends of said rods each forming a gripping jaw while said upper ends of said rods engage a scissors device carried by said oscillating arm, the improvement comprising means actuating said scissors device including a rod fixedly mounted at one end to a slide moving in a guide mounted integral with said oscillating arm, resilient means acting to urge said slide in one direction, said slide being provided with a finger, a cam pivotally mounted upon a fixed support along the path of travel, said oscillating arm moves said finger so that said finger follows the profile of said cam during its movement to the opposite direction, thereby causing said gripping jaws to move between open and closed positions.

2. Weft nipper according to claim 1, characterized in that said slide is in two parts, namely a first slide integral with said rod and a second slide carrying said finger, the relative movements of said both slides being limited by stops.

3. Weft nipper according to claim 2, characterized in that a spring is disposed between said slides, another spring being provided between the first slide and a fixed part of said guide equipped with means for adjusting the tension of said spring, the latter determining the pressure for closing the said jaws.

4. Weft nipper according to claim 1, characterized in that the said finger extends in a housing of a fixed case, said oscillating cam pivoting near one of its ends upon bottom of the said housing and being provided with a return spring.

5. Weft nipper according to claim 4, characterized in that said housing is permanently closed by a lid integral with said oscillating arm.

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