US3861132A

US3861132A - Feed and opening apparatus, arranged in a stationary manner in a supporting member, of an open-end spinning unit

Info

Publication number: US3861132A
Application number: US423108A
Authority: US
Inventors: Fritz Stahlecker; Hans Stahlecker
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1972-12-14
Filing date: 1973-12-10
Publication date: 1975-01-21
Anticipated expiration: 1992-01-21
Also published as: DE2261041A1; GB1406000A

Abstract

Every spinning point of an open-end spinning unit is provided with a feed and opening apparatus which is fixedly connected with the spinning unit, so that a throughgoing shaft equipped with feed rollers can be employed, especially for the feed facilities. Each of these components is protected by means of a cover, which can be swivelled away and to which the insert, which extends into the spinning rotor, is attached, said insert forming a portion of a fiber feed channel and a fiber removal channel. Each cover is retained in the closed position through locking means which can be adjusted from the outside in such a manner that they can be set over the immersion depth of the insert in the spinning rotor.

Description

United States Patent 1191 Stahlecker et al.

[451 Jan. 21, 1975 Filed: Dec. 10, 1973 Appl. No.: 423,108

Foreign Application Priority Data Dec. 14, 1972 Germany 2261041 US. Cl. 57/5889 D0lh 1/12 Field of Search References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,543,500 12/1970 Bancroft et al 57/58.89 3,648,450 3/1972 Prochazka et al. 57/5895 X 3,667,205 6/1972 Brazda et al 5758.89 3,668,854 6/1972 Chatelier 57/58.89

Primary ExaminerDonald E. Watkins Attorney, Agent, or FirmCraig & Antonelli [57] ABSTRACT Every spinning point of an open-end spinning unit is provided with a feed and opening apparatus which is fixedly connected with the spinning unit, so that a throughgoing shaft equipped with feed rollers can be employed, especially for the feed facilities. Each of these components is protected by means of a cover, which can be swivelled away and to which the insert, which extends into the spinning rotor, is attached, said insert forming a portion of a fiber feed channel and a fiber removal channel. Each cover is retained in the closed position through locking means which can be adjusted from the outside in such a manner that they can be set over the immersion depth of the insert in the spinning rotor.

13 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure PATENTEB JAN 21 I975 nnnnxq 2 3 1 FEED AND OPENING APPARATUS, ARRANGED IN A STATIONARY MANNER IN A SUPPORTING MEMBER, OF AN OPEN-END SPINNING UNIT The present invention relates to a feed and opening apparatus, arranged in a stationary manner in a sup porting member, for a spinning point of an open-end spinning unit, being enclosed with a cover which can be moved away and which also covers the spinning rotor and supports an insert containing that area of a fiber supply channel located in front of said spinning rotor and a fiber removal channel.

In open-end spinning units, for reasons of spinning technology it is important for the clearance between the head of the insert and the base of the spinning rotor to maintain a given dimension, which should be uniform for all other spinning points. Satisfaction of this requirement of spinning technology is made difficult through unavoidable manufacturing tolerances, which must be expected, especially in mass production. In order to be able to set this clearance, known models provide an adjustable stop or an adjusting screw, which can only be set with the unit open. This necessitates repeated opening and closing of the unit in order to find a precise setting. It is first necessary to open the cover and then to set the stop. Then, after the unit has been closed it is necessary, generally using a special gauge, to measure whether the desired clearance has been set. This type of setting is generally successful the first time only in very rare cases. The mechanic must therefore generally slowly arrive at the correct setting by trial and error. It is correspondingly difficult if the spinning unit as a whole is to be reset to another spinning condition, whereby a uniform clearance must be set between the rotor-base and the head of the insert at all spinning points.

The object of the invention is to design a feed and opening apparatus of the type indicated at the outset in such a manner that the clearance between the rotor base and the head of the insert can be set quickly and easily. According to the invention, the cover is retained by means of locking means which can be adjusted from the outside with the cover in the closed position. This additionally utilizes the locking means, which must practically always be provided, while simultaneously providing the possibility of performing precise setting in one single step.

In this connection, it is especially advantageous for the housing of the spinning rotor and the outside of the insert to be provided with marks or stops associated to the rotor base and/or the head of the insert. It is readily possible to associate the rotor base and the head of the insert to the marks or stops precisely with a given dimension during assembly and/or fabrication, thereby eliminating manufacturing tolerances here. It is then very simple to set the clearance between the rotor base and the head of the insert precisely by setting the distance between the marks or the stops and, if necessary, subsequently altering them to any desired dimension.

In actual practice, it is advantageous for the insert to be adjustably attached to the cover. This provides the advantage that the entire adjusting path need not be provided exclusively over the locking means.

In order to prevent fibers from being caught in the transition between the supporting member and the insert with this existing adjusting possibility, it is advantageous if there is a positive cross section transition between the stationary portion of the fiber supply channel and that portion belonging to the insert. To prevent infiltrated air from penetrating, it is also favorable if a preferably elastic seal is arranged between the two portions of the fiber supply channel.

In a further development of the invention, the locking means are attached between the supporting member and the cover. In the known models, the locking means are generally attached at the upper end. of the rotor housing and the cover, which frequently proves to be a disadvantage during cleaning or similar work, as working space is taken away.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the locking means are formed by a lever which is mounted in the cover and can be swivelled from the outside and which is further vertically adjustable and whose head engages behind a shoulder in the supporting member. From the construction standpoint, it is especially simple for a swivel axle attached to the cover to be provided with a tapped lateral hole, into which the swivel lever is screwed. In order to be able to swivel the swivel lever without the swivel lever extending further out of the cover during the swivel motion, a further embodiment of the invention provides for insertion of the free end of the swivel lever, which has a slot or similar means for the application of a tool, in a slide which can be slid parallel to the outer wall of the cover and which has a through hole leading to the free end of the swivel lever.

The above discussed and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of an embodiment thereof, when taken in connection with the accompanying Drawing which shows a side view with partial cross section of a feed and opening apparatus of a spinning point of an open-end spinning unit in accor' dance with the invention.

Referring now to the Drawing, the rotor shaft 3 of a spinning rotor 1, which rotates in a housing 2 preferably having an underpressure, is supported in a channel 4 by means of two direct-acting bearings 5. The directacting bearings 5 are mounted in damping discs 6, which in turn are attached to channel 4 by means of fixing rings. The rotor shaft 3 is driven by means of a tangential belt 7 via a ball-shaped drive wharve 8.

The open, individual fibers are supplied to the spinning rotor l with a flow of air. For this purpose, a stationary supporting member 9 is provided for each spinning point, said supporting member 9 having a feed hopper 10, a trough lever 12 operating conjointly with a supply roller 11, and an opening roller 13. A fiber supply channel 14 leads to the spinning rotor from opening roller 13. The first portion of the fiber supply channel is an integral part of supporting member 9, which is followed by an insert 15, whose head extends into spinning rotor I-. Said insert 15, which contains a fiber removal channel 20 which extends first axially to the spinning rotor and then upwardly, is attached by means of a swivel axle 16 to a cover 17', which is fabricated of sheet metal and which covers the entire feed and opening apparatus.

Cover 17 is swivel mounted on an axle 18.0f supporting member 9. Cover 17 is detachably mounted to said swivel axle 18. It is tensioned in the opening direction in an unillustrated manner, e.g., by means of a spring wound around axle 18, so that it swivels down automatically if its locking means 19 are opened.

In actual practice, it is important for certain spinning conditions to be uniform for each spinning point and set for a given value. These include, especially, the clearance between the base of spinning rotor 1 and the head of insert 15, located directly opposite thereto. However since, as a result of manufacturing tolerances during fabrication, this clearance is not precisely uniform, it must be possible to adjust it during assembly. In addition, it should also be possible to subsequently alter the spinning condition resulting herefrom. The first possibility for influencing this clearance is by shifting insert 15 relative to spinning rotor 1. In the illustrated embodiment, this is achieved in that swivel axle 16, with which insert 15 is attached to cover 17, is designed as an eccentric axle. Rotation of the axle shifts insert 15 toward the base of the rotor or away from it. Insert 15 is in a supporting relationship with supporting member 9, and is pressed thereagainst by means of a spring 21. Eccentric axle 16 can be rotated with cover 17 closed, permitting adjustment in one step, without repeated opening of the cover, if in accordance with the illustrated embodiment,

marks

22 and 23, which can be set for a given clearance, are affixed to housing 2 and insert 15. In actual practice, adjustment with the aid of the eccentric axle is relatively coarse, while fine adjustment is made by means of locking means 19, which are adjustable from the outside.

Adjusting means 19 are arranged between supporting member 9 and cover 17, so that the area in which insert 15 is located can be kept free of the locking means. This area is therefore relatively well accessible for a cleaning brush or similar item if cover 17 is opened even slightly. Locking means 19 consist of a swivel lever 24, which is swivel mounted in cover 17 around a swivel axle 25. The tapered or mushroom-shaped head 26 of swivel lever 24 extends behind the stop 27 provided with a recess. Swivel lever 24 is designed as a threaded bolt and screwed into a tapped lateral hole in swivel axle 25. The free end of swivel lever 24, which has a slot 29 for a screwdriver, is inserted in a through hole in a slide 30, which is slidably attached to cover 17 parallel to the outside wall. Slide 30 is retained in the illustrated closed position by means of a tension spring 31. By rotating swivel lever 24 about its longitudinal axis, it is possible to shift locking means 19, thereby altering the position of cover 17 relative to supporting member 9, whereby the clearance between the head of the insert and the base of the spinning rotor is simultaneously altered. This permits very sensitive adjustment with the cover closed, whereby marks 22 and 23 are again employed for exact determination of the clearance.

In a relatively simple manner, with the aid of a gauge it is possible to maintain a given clearance of the rotor base to its mark 22 and of the insert head to its mark 23, or to affix the marks in such a manner as to eliminate manufacturing tolerances here.

In order to permit the adjusting path of insert 15 relative to supporting member 9 without difficulty in .the area of the fiber supply channel, a positive cross section transition is provided between the two areas of the fiber supply channel, i.e., the initial cross section of that portion of fiber channel 14 in insert 15 which is directly adjacent to supporting member 9 is larger than the cross section of fiber supply channel 14 in supporting member 9. In addition, a preferably elastic seal 32 is arranged between these two portions of. fiber supply channel 14.

The entire feed and opening apparatus can also be aligned in the plane which is radial to rotor shaft 3, as supporting member 9 is mounted to a surface which is radial to rotor shaft 3. Supply roller 11 and opening roller 13, including their drives, are designed in such a manner that minor vertical changes do not influence their function. The supply roller is designed as a throughgoing, easily interchangeable supply cylinder, which is mounted in separate supports on the machine frame.

Supporting member 9 further mounts a control magnet 33 and, if desired, an unillustrated load pneumatic system, which are controlled by an unillustrated thread monitor, so that trough lever 12 moves away from supply roller 11 in the event of a thread break or similar malfunction. In addition, supporting member 9 also contains a cleaning chamber 34, which can be connected with the circumference of opening roller 13 in an unillustrated manner by means ofa cleaning flap 35.

In actual practice, it can be advantageous to mount swivel axle 25 eccentrically, which is indicated in the drawing. Detachable securing means would also be necessary for the position of swivel axle 25, whereby it is practical for said means to be able to be operated from the outside with cover 17 closed. This adjusting possibility might, in itself, be sufficient .for precise set ting. Should the clearance between the covers 17 of neighboring spinning points be too small for access to the securing means and the adjusting means of swivel axle 25, good accessibility is then readily possible by opening the covers of the neighboring spinning points.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It should therefore be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

Having thus fully disclosed our invention, what we claim is:

l. A spinning unit with means for feeding and opening fibers, mounted in a supporting member and each associated to one spinning point of an open-end spinning unit and being covered with movably arranged covering means extending to the area of a spinning rotor of the associated spinning unit and also covering said rotor and mounting an insert containing a portion of a fiber supply channel leading to said spinning rotor and at least one portion of the fiber removal channel leading away from said spinning rotor, whereby said covering means are retained in the closed position with locking means which are adjustable from the outside in the closed position.

2. The spinning unit according to claim 1, in which a housing containing said spinning rotor and the outside of said insert have marks designating as least one of the base of said spinning rotor and the head of said insert.

3. The spinning unit according to claim 1, in which a housing containing said spinning rotor and the outside of said insert have stops designating at least one of the base of said spinning rotor and the head of said in-- sert.

4. The spinning unit according to claim 1, in which said insert is adjustably attached to said covering means.

5. The spinning unit according to claim 1, in which that portion of the fiber supply channel contained in said insert has a cross section which is greater than the mouth of that portion of the fiber supply channel located therebefore.

6. The spinning unit according to claim 1, in which sealing means are arranged between the two portions of the fiber supply channel.

7. The spinning unit according to claim 1, in which said locking means are attached to the supporting member and the covering means.

8. The spinning unit according to claim 7, in which said locking means are formed by a lever which is mounted in said covering means and can be swivelled from outside said covering means and whose axial direction is adjustable and which engages behind a shoulder of the supporting member with a head.

9. The spinning unit according to claim 7, in which a swivel axle is attached to said covering means, said swivel axle having a tapped lateral hole into which the swivel lever is screwed.

10. The spinning unit according to claim 9, in which the free end of the lever, extending to the outside, has means for the application of a tool.

11. The spinning unit according to claim 9, in which the free end of the lever, pointing to the outside, can be inserted in a slide, which slides parallel to the outer wall of said covering means and which has a hole, which is open to the outside, leading to the free end of the lever.

12. The spinning unit according to claim 1, in which a housing containing said spinning rotor and the outside of said insert have marks designating the base of the spinning rotor and the head of said insert.

13. The spinning unit according to claim 1, in which a housing containing said spinning rotor and the outside of said insert have stops designating the base of said spinning rotor and the head of said insert.

Claims

1. A spinning unit with means for feeding and opening fibers, mounted in a supporting member and each associated to one spinning point of an open-end spinning unit and being covered with movably arranged covering means extending to the area of a spinning rotor of the associated spinning unit and also covering said rotor and mounting an insert containing a portion of a fiber supply channel leading to said spinning rotor and at least one portion of the fiber removal channel leading away from said spinning rotor, whereby said covering means are retained in the closed position with locking means which are adjustable from the outside in the closed position.

3. The spinning unit according to claim 1, in which a housing containing said spinning rotor and the outside of said insert have stops designating at least one of the base of said spinning rotor and the head of said insert.