US3929168A

US3929168A - Take-off regulator

Info

Publication number: US3929168A
Application number: US436456A
Authority: US
Inventors: Walther Filter; Claus Filter
Original assignee: Voestalpine AG
Current assignee: Voestalpine AG
Priority date: 1973-02-08
Filing date: 1974-01-25
Publication date: 1975-12-30
Anticipated expiration: 1992-12-30
Also published as: IT1005429B; FR2217452A1; FR2217452B3; CS170485B2; JPS49109670A; DE2401130A1; AT320548B; GB1428304A; CH562347A5

Abstract

The regulator is combined with a shaft which is rotatable in steps to take off a cloth and warp in a weaving machine and serves to control the extent of each of said steps. The regulator comprises a stepping disc which has opposite end faces and is mounted for rotation on an axis and operatively connected to said shaft, a stepping lever which is pivoted on said axis, a linkage and connecting means operatively connecting said linkage to said lever and infinitely adjustable in a radial direction relative to said axis. The linkage is operable to impart pivotal movements to said lever in mutually opposite sense. The regulator also comprises first and second clamping jaw means which are operable in alternation to engage said end faces of said disc like pliers. The first clamping jaw means are carried by said lever and operable to couple said lever to said disc during the pivotal movement of said lever in one sense. The second clamping jaw means are mounted in a stationary position and operable to hold said disc against rotation during the pivotal movement of said lever in the opposite sense.

Description

United States Patent 1 1 Filter et al.

[ Dec. 30, 1975 1 1 TAKE-OFF REGULATOR [75] Inventors: Walther Filter, Langenhagen; Claus Filter, Rethem, Aller, both of Germany [73] Assignees: Vereinigte Osterreichische Eisen-und Stahlwerke-Alpine Montan Aktiengesellschaft, Vienna, Austria; Etablissement Wanderfield & C0., Schaan, Liechtenstein [22] Filed: Jan. 25, 1974 [21] Appl. No.1 436,456

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Feb. 8, 1973 Austria 1150/73 [52] U.S. Cl. 139/99; 139/100; 139/109; 139/304; 242/7553 [51] Int. Cl. D03D 49/06; DO3D 49/20 [58] Field of Search 139/99, 97, 105, 109, 100, 139/110, 304, 307, 308, 309, 107,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,400,525 5/1946 Amidon 139/108 X 3,470,921 lO/l969 Booth 139/109 3,503,427 3/1970 Booth 139/100 3,804,348 4/1974 Ruscher et al 242/7553 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 817,426 lO/l95l Germany 139/304 826,579 l/l952 Germany 139/304 53,540 7/1967 Poland 139/100 1,013,629 12/1965 United Kingdom.... 139/309 742,274 11/1943 Germany 66/86 A Primary Examiner-James Kee Chi Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Kurt Kelman [57] ABSTRACT The regulator is combined with a shaft which is rotatable in steps to take off a cloth and warp in a weaving machine and serves to control the extent of each of said steps. The regulator comprises a stepping disc which has opposite end faces and is mounted for rotation on an axis and operatively connected to said shaft, a stepping lever which is pivoted on said axis, a linkage and connecting means operatively connecting said linkage to said lever and infinitely adjustable in a radial direction relative to said axis. The linkage is operable to impart pivotal movements to said. lever in mutually opposite sense. The regulator also comprises first and second clamping jaw means which are operable in alternation to engage said end faces of said disc like pliers. The first clamping jaw means are carried by said lever and operable to couple said lever to said disc during the pivotal movement of said lever in one sense. The second clamping jaw means are mounted in a stationary position and operable to hold said disc against rotation during the pivotal movement of said lever in the opposite sense.

4 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures HYDRAULIC CONTROLS US. Patent Dec. 30, 1975 3,929,168

HYDRAULIC CONTROLS 1 HYDRAULIC CONTROLS TAKE-OFF REGULATOR This invention relates to a regulator for controlling the taking-off of the cloth and warp in a weaving machine, comprising a stepping disc, which is operatively connected to the shaft to be driven, a stepping lever, which by means of a linkage is angularly movable forwardly and rearwardly about the axis of rotation of the stepping disc and which carries coupling means for engaging the stepping disc, and a retaining device for holding the stepping disc in position during the rearward movement of the stepping disc, wherein the point of engagement between the linkage and the stepping lever is adjustable in a raidal direction relative to the axis of rotation.

Regulators for controlling the taking off of the cloth or warp usually consist of ratchet mechanism and comprise a stepping disc having small-pitch teeth. The stepping lever carries a plurality of stepping pawls, which are spaced apart in the peripheral direction of the stepping disc and one of which engages the teeth of the stepping disc for each step so that the angle through which the shaft is rotated upon each advance of the stepping lever can be controlled in smaller increments. Corresponding locking pawls are provided to retain the stepping disc in position during the rearward movement of the stepping lever. That arrangement has the disadvantage that it does not permit of an infinite adjustment nor an adjustment during operation so that the weaver cannot influence the appearance of the cloth by an adjustment of the regulator during operation.

To enable an infinite adjustment of the angle of the rotation performed by the stepping disc during an angular movement of the stepping lever mounted on the axis of rotation of the stepping disc, it has already been proposed to provide for a radial adjustment of the point of engagement between the stepping lever and the linkage for actuating the same so that with a given stroke of the linkage the extent of the angular movement of the stepping lever will depend on the distance between the axis of rotation and the point of engagement between the stepping lever and the linkage. A clamping ratchet mechanism is provided between the stepping disc and the stepping lever and during the forward movement of said lever couples the latter to the stepping disc for joint rotation whereas the ratchet mechanism permits of a free rearward movement of the stepping lever. During this rearward movement, the stepping disc is held in a fixed position relative to the machine frame by a second clamping ratchet mechanism, which acts oppositely to the first. That known arrangement is relatively complicated in structure and has the further disadvantage that it does not permit of an exact control of the time at which the clamping ratchet mechanism connects the parts for joint rotation. Whereas a relative movement between the stepping disc and the stepping lever or between the stepping disc and the retaining device is essentially required to enable an action of the clamping ratchet mechanism, that relative movement results in the undesired inaccuracy and prevents exact, perfectly identical steps of the stepping disc. Besides, the direction in which the stepping disc is driven cannot be reversed because the clamping ratchet mechanisms can act only in one direction. Furthermore, the point of engagement between the stepping lever and the linkage for actuating the same is radially adjusted by a radial screw, which can 2 be rotated by means of a handwheel in order to adjust the point of engagement. Because the handwheel and the screw rotate in unison with the stepping lever, the extent of the angular movement of the stepping disc cannot be adjusted when the machine is in operation.

It is an object of the invention so to improve a regulator of the kind described first hereinbefore that exact steps which have always the same extent can be ensured by simple means and that an infinite adjustment is enabled even during the operation of the machine.

This object is accomplished according to the invention in that the coupling means and the retaining device consist of preferably identical clamping jaws, which act like pliers against the end faces of the stepping disc, the clamping jaws are operable in alternation and the point of engagement between the stepping lever and the linkage is adjustable during operation, e.g., by means of a flexible shaft or a Bowden cable. Contrary to the known regulators, the coupling members and retaining device do not consist of clamping ratchet meachanisms but of clamping jaws, which act like pliers on the end faces of the stepping disc so that exact steps having always the same extent can be produced because the stepping lever does not move until the clamping jaws grip the stepping disc between. them. For this reason the stepping disc can be at a standstill relative to the stepping lever or retaining device during the operation of the clamping jaws; this is not possible where clamping ratchet mechanisms are used.

The regulator according to the invention is not intended normally to produce the desired warp tension between the cloth beam and the warp beam but it is desired to produce said tension between two control beams, which are driven by the regulator and are respectively associated with the cloth beam and the warp beam. This has the advantage that the warp tension is controlled only by a friction clutch, which is incorporated in the means for driving one of the control beams. In machines in which the warp is tensioned in that the cloth is taken off against the force of a warp beam brake, a much stronger force is required to drive the regulator in this case so that the accuracy of the individual steps and the warp tension are adveresly affected. On the other hand, if the regulator is used to drive control beams simultaneously and uniformly, very small stepping forces will be sufficient and by means of the regulator according to the invention enable a very accurate control of steps which have been adjusted. For this reason the point of engagement between the linkage and the stepping lever may be dis placed during operation by means of a flexible shaft or a Bowden cable. This is impossible if relatively strong forces are to be transmitted, as is required where known regulators are used.

The regulator according to the invention permits also of a reversal of the sense of rotation of the shaft to be driven because it is sufficient for this purpose to interchange the timing of the operation of the clamping jaws. In connection with warp beam brakes it is known to provide brake shoes which act like pliers on a stepping disc. These brake shoes must permit the disc to slip between them because the operation of the warp beam brake could not be ensured otherwise. Contrary to this, the clamping jaws according to the invention must firmly grip the disc because a slipping of the disc would adversely affect the accuracy of the steps.

In a development of the invention, the clampingjaws which constitute the coupling members and the retain- 3 ing device consist of clamping pistons, which are operable in dependence on the position of a hydraulic actuator, which is included in the linkage. Compared to the use of a rotary crank or the like, the use of a doubleacting hydraulic cylinder for driving the linkage affords the advantage that the times when pressure is applied can be selected so as to ensure that the clamping jaws will be operated when the stepping disc and the stepping lever are at a standstill. For a coarse adjustment of the steps, the stroke of the piston of the hydraulic actuator may be varied. The fine adjustment of the steps is then enabled by the flexible shaft or a Bowden cable.

An embodiment of the invention is shown diagrammatically and by way of example on the accompanying drawing, in which FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a regulator,

FIG. 2 is a side elevation showing the regulator and FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on line IIIII1 of FIG. 1.

A stepping disc 2 is non-rotatably fixed to a shaft 1, which serves to drive a non-illustrated control beam, which is associated with the cloth take-off 20. The shaft 1 may be additionally used to drive a control let-off 21 which is associated with the warp beam. A stepping or operating lever 4 is mounted on the hub 3 of the stepping disc 2 and can be pivotally moved forwardly and rearwardly by means of a linkage 5 connected to the piston 6 in cylinder 6. Two axially aligned pistons 8 are mounted in cylinder cavities 14 provided in a crossmember 7 of the stepping lever 4 and act as clamping jaws on the opposite radial faces of the stepping disc 2 and are operable by hydraulic pressure applied through a conduit 15. It will be understood that the clamping jaws may be pneumatically or electromagnetically operated when this is desired. A stationary support 9 carries two similar clamping pistons 10 in cylinder cavities 16. Pressure is applied to the

clamping pistons

8 and 10 in alternation by a hydraulic control mechanism 17 when the lever 4 is at a standstill between forward and rearward movements, the mechanism 17 being linked to the actuator 6. Hydraulic pressure is applied to the clamping pistons 8 and the latter couple the disc 2 to the stepping lever 4 as the lever performs a forward pivotal movement. Hydraulic pressure is applied to the clamping pistons 10 for preventing angular movement of the disc 2 during the rearward pivotal movement of the stepping lever whereas the clamping pistons 8 slightly disengage the disc at this time.

The linkage 5 engages a slider 11, which is slidable in the stepping lever 4 in a radial direction relative to the shaft 1. The slider is threaded on a screw 12, which is rotatably and axially immovably mounted in a crossyoke 13 of the stepping lever. By means of a flexible shaft 18 indicated with dash-dot lines, the screw can be rotated from a remote position even during the operation of the machine so that the point of engagement of the linkage or hydraulic cylinder 6 is changed and with it the extent of the angular movement of the stepping lever 4 and of the rotational movement of the stepping disc 2 and or the shaft 1 for a given actuator stroke. Instead of the spindle 12, a Bowden cable may engage the displaceable slider 11, which in that case is also displaced in a radial direction by an operation of the Bowden cable.

For the sake of simplicity, the drawing shows an embodiment in which the flexible shaft 18 engages the screw 12 on the outside. As this arrangement may involve high alternating stresses, it will often be more desirable to connect the flexible shaft or the Bowden cable adjacent to the pivotal axis of the stepping lever.

To reverse the sense of rotation it is sufficient to interchange the timing of the operation of the

pistons

8 and 10 so that the disc is carried around by the stepping lever during its return movement and is retained during the forward movement of the stepping lever. In this case the steps may be performed with the same accuracy.

What is claimed is:

1. A weaving machine comprising:

a. a shaft having an axis and mounted for angular movement about said axis;

b. a cloth take-up mechanism and a warp let-off mechanism, one of said mechanisms being drivingly connected to said shaft for control of said one mechanism by said shaft;

0. a disc member secured to said shaft for joint angular movement about said axis and having two radial faces;

d. an operating member mounted for pivoting movement about said axis relative to said disc member;

e. actuating means for alternatively pivoting said operating member forward and backward about said axis;

f. first clamping jaw means mounted on said operating member and engageable with said radial faces for coupling said disc member to said operating member for joint angular movement;

g. second clamping jaw means engageable with said radial faces for preventing angular movement of said disc member; and

h. control means for alternatively operating said first and second jaw means during standstill of said operating member between forward and backward pivoting movements of the operating member and for thereby rotating said shaft in steps.

2. A weaving machine as set forth in claim 1, wherein said first and second clamping jaw means each include two clamping members, and said control means include means for moving said clamping members axially into clamping engagement with said two radial faces respectively.

3. A weaving machine as set forth in claim 2, wherein the clamping members of each of said clamping jaw means are axially aligned.

4. A weaving machine as set forth in claim 1, further comprising an engaging member mounted on said operating member, and adjusting means for radially moving said engaging member toward and away from said axis, said actuating means including a linkage drivingly connected-to said engaging member.

Claims

1. A weaving machine comprising: a. a shaft having an axis and mounted for angular movement about said axis; b. a cloth take-up mechanism and a warp let-off mechanism, one of said mechanisms being drivingly connected to said shaft for control of said one mechanism by said shaft; c. a disc member secured to said shaft for joint angular movement about said axis and having two radial faces; d. an operating member mounted for pivoting movement about said axis relative to said disc member; e. actuating means for alternatively pivoting said operating member forward and backward about said axis; f. first clamping jaw means mounted on said operating member and engageable with said radial faces for coupling said disc member to said operating member for joint angular movement; g. second clamping jaw means engageable with said radial faces for preventing angular movement of said disc member; and h. control means for alternatively operating said first and second jaw means during standstill of said operating member between forward and backward pivoting movements of the operating member and for thereby rotating said shaft in steps.

4. A weaving machine as set forth in claim 1, further comprising an engaging member mounted on said operating member, and adjusting means for radially moving said engaging member toward and away from said axis, said actuating means including a linkage drivingly connected to said engaging member.