US3920053A - Device for use with jacquard machine for selectively lifting warp yarns - Google Patents

Abstract

A device for use with a Jacquard machine is disclosed which may eliminate the pattern cards, may be made compact in size, may find a wide application, and may considerably increase the weaving speed. In opposed relation with a plurality of needles is disposed a selection mechanism in which a plurality of solenoids equal in number to the needles are disposed in opposed relation with a plurality of armature members equal in number to the needles and interconnected therewith through wires. A control unit is adapted to selectively energize the solenoids depending upon the desired fabric patterns while the armature members are moved toward and made into contact with the solenoids in synchronism with the weaving operation of the power loom so that the selectively energized solenoids attract the armature members to hold their corresponding needles in position while the remaining needles corresponding to the de-energized solenoids are returned to their initial positions. The hooks corresponding to the needles returned to the initial positions are made into engagement with their corresponding knives in a knife box so that when the knife box is lifted, they are also lifted to lift the desired warp yarns, thereby forming a desired shed.

Description

United States Patent ['19] Akami et al.

[451 Nov. 18,1975

[ DEVICE FOR USE WITH JACQUARD MACHINE FOR SELECTIVELY LIFIING WARP YARNS [75] Inventors: Hitoshi Akami; Masaya Nakazima,

both of Yokohama; Masayoshi Katsumata, Machida, all of Japan [73] Assignees: Agency of Industrial Science &

Technology; Kayabakogyokabushikikaisha, both of Tokyo, Japan [22] Filed: July 1, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 484,949

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data July 3. 1973 Japan 48-75071 [52] US. Cl. 139/319 [51] Int. Cl. D03C 3/20 [58] Field of Search 139/55, 59, 68, 317, 318,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 608,473 8/1898 McCrum 139/319 727.023 5/1903 Szczepanik 1,017,063 2/1912 Regal 139/319 Primary Examiner-Henry S. Jaudon Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Saul Jecies 57 ABSTRACT A device for use with a Jacquard machine is disclosed which may eliminate the pattern cards, may be made compact in size, may find a wide application, and may considerably increase the weaving speed. In opposed relation with a plurality of needles is disposed a selection mechanism in which a plurality of solenoids equal in number to the needles are disposed in opposed relation with a plurality of armature members equal in number to the needles and interconnected therewith through wires. A control unit is adapted to selectively energize the solenoids depending upon the desired fabric patterns while the armature members are moved toward and made into contact with the solenoids in synchronism with the weaving operation of the power loom so that the selectively energized solenoids attract the armature members to hold their corresponding needles in position while the remaining needles corresponding to the de-energized solenoids are returned to their initial positions. The hooks corresponding to the needles returned to the initial positions are made into engagement with their corresponding knives in a knife box so that when the knife box is lifted, they are also lifted to lift the desired warp yarns, thereby forming a desired shed.

4 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures US. Patent Nov. 18, 1975 Sheet 1 of3 3,920,053

US. Patent Nov. 18; 1975 Sheet 2 of3 3,920,053

Sheet 3 of 3 0000000000 ooooooo V 0000 Nov. 18, 1975 U8. Patent DEVICE FOR USE WITH JAC UARDMA'CHINE FOR SELECTIVELY LIETINGWARP YARNS;-

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION,

The present invention relates to a'devic e foruse with a Jacquard machine for selectively lifting the warp yarns, thereby forming desired sheds depending upon fabric patterns.

In general the conventional Jacquard machines use an endless tape of pattern cards which are fed one by one to a cord cylinder in synchronism with the shedding operation of a power loom so that the needles which find no corresponding punched holes in the pattern card are pushed so as to cause their corresponding hooks to be released from their corresponding knivesin a knife box while the needles which find the. corresponding punched holes remain in the same positions with their corrsponding hooks kept in engagement with their corresponding knives. Therefore when the knife box is lifted, only the hooks whose corresponding needles remain in the same or initial positions are lifted so that only the desired warp yarns are lifted to form desired sheds.

However, the conventional Jacquard machines of the type described have many defects. First of all, it is very time-consuming and expensive to provide a large number of pattern cards for the desired fabric patterns. Secondly, special techniques are required to provide the pattern cards. Thirdly, the attachment of the pattern cardsupon the Jacquard machine, the detachment, the transportation, the storage, and the maintenance of the pattern cards are time-consuming and require much space. Fourthly, the pitches of the punched holes of the pattern cards and the looming methods are different from one machine to another, one production center to another and one factory to another so that many pattern cards different in size and pitch of punched holes must be prepared even for weaving the fabrics with the same patterns.

Furthermore, as the living standard becomes higher, various high fashioned fabrics with various and complex patterns are produced, and the fashion cycle is very short so that it becomes extremely difficult to predict what kind of fashions will be popular. Therefore it is now imperative to weave the samples or products within a very limited time. That is, it is necessary to produce various types and kinds of fabrics in small lot within a short time in order to meet the rapidly changing market demands. Therefore there hasbeen a strong demand that the needles in the Jacquard machines should be driven without the use of the pattern cards. However, the conventional methods for driving the needles by solenoids, cylinders and the like are not satisfactory in practice because of a very small pitch, for instance 4 to 5 mm. of the needles, and the mechanisms for selectively driving the needles are very complex in construction and expensive to manufacture.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above, the primary object of the present invention is to provide a device for use with a Jacquard machine for selectively lifting the warp yarns which may eliminate the use of the conventional pattern cards, may be made compact in size, may be simple in construction and inexpensive to manufacture, and may considerably increase the weaving speed. i

Briefly stated, in accordance with the present invention, in opposed relation with a plurality of needles of a Jacquard machine is disposeda selection mechanism in which a plurality of solenoids and a plurality of armature members, both equal in number to the needles, are disposed in opposed relation, respectively, and the armature members are connected through wires to the needles, respectively. In synchronism with the shedding operation ofa power loom the solenoids and the armature members are moved toward and made into contact with each other while the selected solenoids are energized by a control unit depending upon the desired fabric patterns and hence the desired sheds. Therefore the hooks corresponding to the needles whose armature members are attracted by the energized solenoids are disengaged from their corresponding knives in a knife box while the remaining hooks remain in engagement with theircorresponding knives. When the'knife box is lifted, only these remaining hooks are lifted so that the desired warp yarns are also lifted, thus forming desired sheds.

The control unit is adapted to read out the fabric pattern information previously recorded upon a punched tape or magnetic tape and to selectively energize the solenoids in the selection mechanism depending upon the read out information. Thus the conventional pattern cards may be completely eliminated.

Since the armature members are connected to the needles through the wires, there may be easily established one-to-one correspondence between the needles and the solenoids even though the number of the needles ranges from to 2,000 with such a small pitch of 4 to 5 mm. Furthermore even the pitch of the needles changes in one machine to ano'ther,'one factory to another, and one production center to another, one-toone correspondence between the needles and the solenoids may be easily established, by adjusting the wires interconnecting between the needles and the armature members.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the solenoids are so arranged that their connections to the control unit may be freely changed so that the device in accordance with the present invention may be used with any Jacquard machine with different numbers of needlesfln other words, thedevice in accordance with the present invention may control any power looms with different loomings based upon the same fabric pattern information.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of one preferred embodiment thereoftaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a Jacquard machine incorporating a device in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view, partly in section, of the device for selectively lifting the warp yarns in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In' FIG. 1 is shown one preferred embodiment of a Jacquard machine generally indicated by 10 and pro- 3 vided with a warp yarn selection mechanism in accordance with the present invention.

Like the conventional Jacquard machines, the warp yarns 11 are coupled to harness cords 16 extending from the lower ends of hooks 12 through a bottom or hook plate 13 and guide reed 14. In a knife box 18, a spring member 17 formed integral with each of the hooks 12 is pressed against the rear side of a knife 19 for engagement with the adjacent hook 12 so that a hooked portion 20 of the hook 12 may be normally made into engagement with the corresponding knife 19. The knife box 18 is adapted to be vertically displaced in synchronism with the weaving operation of a power loom. A plurality of needles equal in number to the hooks slidably extend through a guide frame 21 and have their hooked portions engaged with their corresponding hooks 12, respectively, so that when the needles 22 are displaced transversely to the right. the corresponding hooks 12 are also displaced transversely to the right. Consequently. the hooked portions 20 of the hooks 12 are retracted to the position where they do not engage with the corresponding knives 19 when the knife box 18 is lifted.

A cord cylinder 24 which is disposed on the side of the left ends of the needles 22 is drivingly coupled through a suitable linkage (not shown) to the power loom so that it may make one reciprocal movement in the transverse direction in synchronism with the weaving operation of the power loom as the knife box 18 is raised. The efore the selected hooks 12 are lifted so that a shed required for a desired fabric pattern may be formed as will be described in detail hereinafter.

ln the conventional Jacquard machines, in order to lift only the selected hooks. an endless belt of pattern cards are fed one by one to the cord cylinder 24 in synchronism with the weaving operation of the power loom so that when the cord cylinder 24 moves toward the needles 22 the displacements of the needles may be controlled depending upon the pattern of the punched holes of the pattern card on the cord cylinder. Therefore only the selected hooks 12 may be lifted when the knife box 18 is lifted. However according to the present invention the pattern cards may be eliminated and the cylinder 24 makes only the reciprocal movement in the transverse direction. A blind plate 25 is attached to the one side surface of the cylinder 24 in opposed relation with the left ends of the needles 22 so that when the cylinder 24 moves to the right all of the needles 22 are pushed to the right and only the selected needles 22 are held in the right positions by a selection mechanism 26 while the remaining needles 22 are returned to their initial or left positions under the force of the spring members 17 as the cylinder 24 returns to its initial or left positiOn. Therefore only the selected hooks l2 engage with the corresponding knives l9 and are lifted as the knife box 18 is lifted.

Next referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the selection mechanism generally indicated by 26 will be described in detail hereinafter. A casing 27 ofthe selection mechanism 26 is attacched to a main body 29 of the loom with bolts and nuts 28. A guide rod 34 has its both ends fixed to the midpoints of right and left side plates 33 and 32 of the casing 27, and is slidably fitted into a bearing member 35 held by a bearing holder 31 which in turn is attached to the center of a bracket disposed within the casing 27. Therefore the bracket 30 may be slidably along the guide rod 34 in the transverse direction as will be described in more detail hereinafter.

Upon the bracket 30 are attached a mounting plate 36 and two guide plates 37 and 38 in parallel to each other and in suitably spaced apart relation. More particularly, the mounting plate 36 is located along the right side of the bracket 30; the guide plate 37, along the left side of the bracket 30 and the guide plate 38, closer to the mounting plate 38 than the left guide plate 37. A plurality of armature members 39 equal in number to the needles 22 are slidably fitted into holes 40 formed through the mounting plate 38, and have their rear or left ends coupled to the corresponding needles 22 with wires 43 extending through guide holes 41 and 42 of the guide plates 37 and 38, respectively. An adjusting member 44 is fitted over each of the connecting wires 43. At least the front or left end portion of each armature members 39 is made of a magnetic material, and a spring 45 is fitted over the armature member 39 between its leading or left end and the mounting plate 36.

A threaded adjusting rod 46 is extended transversely to the left from the left guide plate 37, and is screwed into an adjusting nut 47 attached to a'plate 49 so that the position of the bracket 30 relative to the casing 27 may be adjusted by rotating the adjusting nut 47. A driving rod 48 has its one or right end firmly fitted into the adjusting nut and its the other or left end made into contact with the blind plate 25 of the cylinder 24 so that when the cylinder 24 is displaced to the right, the driving rod 48 and hence the bracket 30 may be displaced also to the right together with the needles 22.

A plurality of solenoids 50 equal in number to the armature members 39 are mounted in opposedrelation therewith upon a mounting plate 52 which in turn is attached to the right side plate 33 of the casing 27 with adjusting bolts and nuts 51 so that the spacing between the armature member 39 and the corresponding solenoid 50 may be suitably adjusted.

Upon the right side plate 33 is also attached a connection box generally indicated by 53 with the adjusting bolts and nuts 51. The connection box 53 comprises a main body section 54 and a cap or lid section 55 hinged to the main body section 54 with a hinge 56. When the cap or lid section 55 is closed, it may be held in closed position by a clamp 57. A plug.59 is electrically coupled through lead wires 58 to a coil 50a of each solenoid 50 extended through the rightside wall 33 of the casing 27 and'the side or bottom plate of the main body section 54. The plugs 59 are inserted into jacks 60 mounted upon a mounting plate 62 which in turn is attached to the main body section 54 with setscrews 61. These jacks 60 are electrically connected through lead wires 63 to connectors 66 mounted upon a mounting plate 65 which in turn is attached with setscrews 64 to the cover or lid section 55. The connectors 66 are electrically connected through cables 67 to a control unit 68 (See FIG. 1), which is adapted to energize the selected solenoids 50 in response to the signals from a reader (not shown) for reading out the desired fabric patterns.

Next the mode of operation of the warp yarn selection device in accordance with the present invention will be described hereinafter. The cylinder 24 which is drivingly coupled through the suitable mechanical linkage to the power loom is displaced to the right so that its blind plate 25 pushesthe needles 22 and the driving shaft 48 to the right. As the needles 22 are displaced. their hooked portions 23 engage with the corresponding hooks 12 to push them to the right so that the hooked portions 20 of the hooks 12 are moved away from their corresponding knives 19 in the knife box 18. The driving rod 48 pushes the bracket 30 to the right so that the latter is displaced along the guide rod 34. Therefore both the needles 22 and their corresponding armature members 39 are displaced to the right but their relative positions remain unchanged. In other words the tensions of the wires 43 interconnecting between the needles 22 and their corresponding armatures 39 remain unchanged. As the bracket 30 is dis placed to the right the armature members 39 are made to contact their corresponding solenoids 50. When the selected solenoids 50 are energized by the control unit 68, the corresponding armature members 39 are kept attracted by the solenoids so that the needles 22 which are connected through wires 43 to the attached armature members 39 are positively held in the right positions.

Even when the bracket 30 further moves to the right after the armature members 39 have been made into contact with their corresponding solenoids 50, the bracket 30 pushes the springs 45 fitted between the mounting plate 36 and the armature members 39 while slacking the connecting wires 43 so that the damages to any component parts may be prevented.

When the cylinder 24 is returned to its initial position, the needles 22 except those connected to the armature members 39 attracted by the energized solenoids 50 are also returned to their initial positions under the forces of the spring members 17 of the hooks 12. The bracket 30 is also returned to its initial position under the forces of the spring members 45 and because the connecting wires 43 exert some pulling forces to the bracket 30 through the armature members 39. The hooked portions 20 of the hooks 12 corresponding to the needles 22 returned to their initial positions are made into engagement with their corresponding knives 19 in the knife box 18. i

As soon as the cylinder 24 is returned to its initial position the knife box 18 is lifted so that the hooks 12 whose hooked portions 20 are in engagement with the knives 19 are lifted while the hooks 12 corresponding to the needles 22 held in the right positions remain in the initial position. Therefore only the hooks l2 corresponding to the needles 22 returned to their initial positions lift the warp yarns 11 through the harness cords 16 so that a desired shed may be formed.

Immediately before the knife box 18 reaches the upper end of its upper stroke, the energized solenoids 50 are deenergized so that the needles 22 whose armature members 39 have been attracted by the energized solenoids 50 are returned to their initial positions under the forces of the spring members 17 until the knife box 18 is returned or lowered to its initial position. Thus one shedding step or operation is completed.

In like manner the shedding operations are cycled in synchronism with the weaving operations of the power loom so that the fabric with desired patterns may be woven.

ln the instant embodiment, the needles 22 and the armature members 39 have been described as being displaced to the right by the cylinder 24 until the armature members 39 are made into contact with their corresponding solenoids 50, but it is to be understood that the solenoids are so arranged as to be displaced toward the armature members in synchronism with the weaving operation of the power loom until they are made into contact with their corresponding armature members and to be returned to their initial positions with the selectively energized solenoids attracting their corresponding armature members, thus displacing the corresponding needles to the inoperative positions. that is, the positions at which their corresponding hooks are not lifted when the knife box is lifted. Furthermore it is to be understood that various modifications can be effected without departing from the true spirits of the present invention.

What is claimed is 1. In a Jacquard machine. having a power loom, a device for-selectively lifting warp yarns, comprising a. a selection mechanism disposed in opposed relation with a plurality of needles of said Jacquard machine, said selection mechanism comprising a plurality of armature members coupled through wire members to said plurality of needles. respectively,

a plurality of solenoids disposed in opposed relation with said plurality of armature members. respectively, and

driving means coupled to said power loom and movable in response to operation of said loom for causing said plurality of armature members and said plurality of solenoids to move toward or away from each other in synchronism with the weaving operation of said power loom; and

b. a control unit for energizing the solenoids selected in response to the fabric pattern information so as to attract the armaturemembers, whereby the displacements of the needles coupled to the armature members attracted by the energized solenoids may be controlled.

2. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said plurality of armature members of said selection mechanism are eleastically mounted with spring means upon a bracket which is adapted to be displaced in synchronism with the displacement of said plurality of needles by a cord cylinder at each shedding operation of the power loom. V

3. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said plurality of needles are coupled to said plurality of armature members, respectively, through said wires and through means adapted to adjust the spacing between each of the needles and its corresponding armature member.

4. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said plurality of solenoids are electrically connected through plugs and jacks to said control unit in such a manner that their electrical connections to said control unit

Claims (4)

1. In a Jacquard machine, having a power loom, a device for selectively lifting warp yarns, comprising a. a selection mechanism disposed in opposed relation with a plurality of needles of said Jacquard machine, said selection mechanism comprising a plurality of armature members coupled through wire members to said plurality of needles, respectively, a plurality of solenoids disposed in opposed relation with said plurality of armature members, respectively, and driving means coupled to said power loom and movable in response to operation of said loom for causing said plurality of armature members and said plurality Of solenoids to move toward or away from each other in synchronism with the weaving operation of said power loom; and b. a control unit for energizing the solenoids selected in response to the fabric pattern information so as to attract the armature members, whereby the displacements of the needles coupled to the armature members attracted by the energized solenoids may be controlled.

2. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said plurality of armature members of said selection mechanism are eleastically mounted with spring means upon a bracket which is adapted to be displaced in synchronism with the displacement of said plurality of needles by a cord cylinder at each shedding operation of the power loom.

3. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said plurality of needles are coupled to said plurality of armature members, respectively, through said wires and through means adapted to adjust the spacing between each of the needles and its corresponding armature member.

4. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said plurality of solenoids are electrically connected through plugs and jacks to said control unit in such a manner that their electrical connections to said control unit may be freely changed.

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