USRE2194E - Improvement in power-looms - Google Patents

Description

UNITED lSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHRISTOPHER DUCKWORTH, OF MOUNT CARMEL, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT IN POWER-LOOMS. v

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 9,815, dated .lune 28, 1853 Reissue No. 2,019, dated July 4, 1865 Reissue No. 2,194, dated MarclrlS, 1866.

DIVISION B.

To all whom t may concern A specification, in which- Figure 1, Sheet 1, is a front elevation of those parts of a power-loom to which my invention relates. Fig. 2, Sheet 1, is a horizontal section through Fig. 1, taken immediately beneath the race-beam. Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 are views in detail of the devices which take part in eifectin g the changes oi' positionof the shuttle-boxes. Fig. 8, Sheet 2, is alongitudinal section through the center of the loom with the beveled spur-wheel omitted. Fig. 9, Sheet 2, is a similar section showing the same parts in different positions. Fig. 10, Sheet 2, is a top view of the levers which give a horizontal lateral movement to the shuttle-boxes, either backward or forward. Fig. 11, Sheet 2, is a perspective view showing the pawls, ratchetwheels, and spurred gearing, which move the tappetwheel about their common center, either to the right or to the left. Figs. 12, 13, 14, and 15 show the changes of position of a four-celled shuttle-box.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspending parts in theseveral figures.

My'invention relates particularly to powerlooms for weaving figured fabrics where more than two colors are required in the weft and where it is necessary to employ a number of shuttles corresponding to the number of colors used, and to change the positions of the shuttle-boxes with respect to the racebeam, according to the figure which it is desired to weave.

The object of my invention is to provide for throwing shuttles from a combination of shuttlc-boxes or cells, both in regular and irregular order, so that a great variety of combinations can be made with but few colors and few shuttles carrying such colors.

In looms hitherto constructed having a number of shuttle-boxes corresponding to the number of shuttles employed, it is necessary to throw the shuttlesV in regular order of arrangement l in the boxes, and while provision is made for giving the boxes alternate movements for the purpose of obtaining a repetition of a certain number of colors previously used, there is no provision made to pass by or skip a box which is nextA that from which the last shuttle was thrown. Thus, while dif- -ferent colors can be repeated in their regular order of arrangement any number of times, by giving the boxes an alternate movement, such movement will not admit of the taking of any desired color at will, but the operation of the machines is limited to the taking of only such colors as range in regular succession. If, for example, the color 'red was thrown and it was desired to succeed it with white, unless the latter color was in the box next the red, it could not be thrown until the colors in the intermediate boxes were thrown 5 hence with such looms it is necessary to employ a great number of shuttles to weave a simple figure of but few colors. y

To enable others skilled in the art to understand my invention, I will describe its construction and operation.

y The frame A, the breast-beam B, thelathe C, and the picker-staves D D may be constructed in any of the well-known ways used in powerlooms. The shuttle-boxes E and F are subdivided by partitions so as to form a numblerrot' cells,aa a, for containing the shuttles, and these boxes are so arranged that they are susceptible of receiving a lateral, a vertical, and a diagonal movement when necessary to bring the required shuttle to the position to be acted upon by the picker-staves D D, which latter give an alternate reciprocating motion to their respective bolts or rods, which are inclosed within the horizontal tubes c c.

vThe shuttle-boxes F F are supported upon upright standards d d', Figs. l and 2, which standards are acted upon by means of pins projecting from the extremities of a curved rockingA lever, G. This lever G is secured at its center to a swinging bar, H, which is supported in a free bearing at its upper end, (attached to the race-beam of the lathe 0,) while its lower end is movable laterally in a slotted plate, e, and is pressed toward the left by the spiral spring f, so as to cause the lever G to bear in the center of the notches in the slides h and rest on the friction-rollers Maud j j contained in the circular case J. This case J, with its friction-rollers, is revolved or oscillated, when necessary, by the bevel gearwheel Kg, Figs. 2, 8, and 1l, these wheels being worked by the dogs or pawls L L' and ratchet-wheels R S, Figs. 8 and 11, by the vibratory motion of the lathe C,to which latter the case J, wheels K and g, and the ratchetwheels are all attached.

The two pawls L and L' may for some pur poses be worked by a cam, as shown at t, Figs. 8, 9, and 11, which cam will raise the pawl L from the ratchet-wheel R, which by means of the spiral spring u will lift the pawl L' against the ratchet-wheel S so as to move the case J about its axis in one direction, contrary to that in which it is moved when the paw] L is allowed'to act upon the ratchet- Wheel R. But, instead of using a single cam, t, to act upon the pawls L L', I shall in most,

.if not in all, cases employ a card-pattern Afor moving and controlling the-movements of said pawls.

The case J contains four friction-rollers, i i and j j, the forms of which are particularly shown in Figs. 6 and 7, Sheet l. The object ofmaking these portions t'jj of a circular form and allowing them to turn freely is merely to avoid friction when their surfaces are caused to act upon the lever G. The case J is also furnished with four notched slides, h, the notches of which guide the lever Gr laterally as it falls into them. These slides h are moved from 011e side to the other of the center v the lever G from one side to the other of central prominences of the tappets or frictionrollers i j j, and thereby cause this leverto i giyg the lateral motions to the shuttle-boxes,

as the levers M and N are alternately depressed. The friction-rollers i j j are used forgiving a vertical up-and-down movement to the shuttle-boxes, as the shaft J is moved about its axis, and the slides h h are used for giving a lateral or horizontal movement to the shuttle-boxes; both devices operate as tappets upon the lever G, which carries on its extremities the shuttle-boxes. 4

The levers M and N are pivoted to a bracket, which is secured to the left-hand sword of the lathe, and these levers are connected together by a short transverse lever, l, which rocks on a fulcrum, m, so that when one lever is depressed the other will be elevated. The lever N is elevated by the recoil of the spiral spring u, the upper end of which is attached to the under side of the race-beam of the lathe C, and the lower end to the lever N, as seen in Fig. 1. And this lever is depressed by the action of the cam O on the lever l? by means of the connecting-rod Q, and by the operation of the rockin g-lever l. When the lever N is elevated the lever M is depressed, and vice versa, so

far as the cam O is concerned in the opera` tion while Working alone. This cam O may be be shifted or adjusted to any desired position, soas to operate the levers M and N, as required, to the extent to which a single cam can be used; but I prefer to control the operation of the levers M and N by means of a card-pattern instead of a single cam-surface, as shown.

' When the card-pattern is employed, the cam O should be dispensed with, and the operation of the levers governed wholly by the pattern, the operation of the rocking lever l being to prevent both levers, M N, from being depressed simultaneously, whlle the operation governed by the pattern may be to hold up either one ofthe levers for any length of time.

On the arbor of wheel K, l key two ratchetwheels, R and S, for the purpose of revolving the wheel K either way by means of the vibratory motion given to the lathe C, and the stationary pawls L L', acting alternately upon their respective ratchet-wheels, as represented in Figs. 8 and 9, Sheet 2. Either one of these pawls may be raised or depressed, or both may be disengaged from the ratchet-wheels,when not needed, by a-ny'of the common methods used in looms to direct the form of the igures to be woven, though they must be governed by a card-pattern, either directly or indirectly.

The power for working the lathe C may be applied in any of the well-known ways so as to revolve the main shaft, which latter communicates a rotary motionto the shaft carrying the cam O, through the medium of spurred gearing, which I have not represented in the drawings.

When power is applied to the main drivingshaft, the lathe C receives a vibratory motion for beating up the woot' or lling. This vibratory motion of the lathe causes the ratchetwheels R S to be revolved bythe pawl' L in the direction indicated by the arrows in Fig. 8, and to carry with it the bevel spur-wheel K, which, by means of the pinion g on the shaft J', revolves or moves the case J toward the right by a repeated movement, and when the other pawl, L', is brought into action, as shown in Fig. 9, Sheet 2, the motion of the lathel C causes the ratchet-wheel S to revolve in the direction indicated by the arrows on this wheel in Fig. 9, and carries with it the wheel K, which, by means of pinion g, revolves or moves the case J over toward the left by a repeated movement, so as to bring the notched slides h and friction-rollers 'i t' j j alternately or successively under the lever Gr to guide it and to rock it so as to alternately depress and elevate the shuttle-boxes E F or to give them a vertical motion. While this takes place the shaft of cam O will be revolved, and this cam will be caused to depress the lever P once in every revolution, and by means of the connecting-rod Q depress the lever N, so that its beveled edge will force the notched slides ontward, and thus guide the lever G outside of the prominences on the rollers or tappet-s i t' jj, and thus give the lateral motion to the shuttle boxes, carrying the box E back and bringing the box F forward.

When the shortest side of the cam 0 is downward, the spiral spring n, Fig. l, will raise the lever N above the ends ofthe slides h, and by the operation of the transverse lever l -the lever M will be correspondingly depressed (unless sustaine l by the governing effect of a card-pattern) so that its beveled edge will come into contact with the beveled edges of the notched slides h and force these slides back, and thereby guide the lever G to the back side of the central prominences on the friction-rollers or tappets, and cause this lever to carry the shuttle-box F backward and bring box E forward, thus giving a lateral movement to `the shuttle-boxes opposite to that before described.

When the change in the slide to give the lateral or horizontal movements to the boxes coincides with the change in the friction-rollers or tappets, as from t' to j, or vice versa, to give the vertical movements, the lateral and vertical movements, occurring simultaneously, will produce the diagonal motion, as from corner to corner of the shuttle-boxes, as indicated by the red lines, Fig. 15. The slidesh and rollers or tappets i t' jj, when the pawls L L and the levers N M are properly controlled in their movements, will cause the lever G to produce every change of position of the shuttleboxes required to weave the desired figure,

The case J may remain at rest during any number of throws ot' either one of the shutties, and this case may be rotated forward or backward as one or the other of the pawls L L and ratchet-wheels R S are used, and when the pawl L and the ratchet-wheel S are used the inclined surface c, Fig. l1, will operate the notched slides h.

When I employ a card-pattern, I connect it with the pawls L L and the levers M N by any of the well-known means now in use for similar purposes, according to the construction of the loom.

The pickerstaves D D may be operated in any of the well-known ways-as, for instance, by bands or straps attached at p p and carried over the pulleys q q, Fig. 1, and worked by a treadle or any other convenient way.

The loom may be stopped when the shuttles are not thrown home into the boxes by the lip or projection r, Fig. 1, which is thrown by a spring in the usual manner coming in contact with the breast-beam 13, and when the shuttle is thrown home into the boxes the inclined planes .s s, acting on the bent ends of the protecting-rod t', will press the lip v down so that it will pass under the breast-beam B and allow the lathe to work freely.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. Giving an alternate movement to the shuttle-boxes in a horizont-al plane by means of pawls, reversible tappets, and a contrivance which will automatically control the movements of said pawls, substantially as described.

2. Giving an alternate diagonal movement to the shuttle-boxes bymeans of pawls, reversible tappcts, and a eontrivance which will automatically Icontrol the movements of said pawls, substantially as described.

3. The combination of reversible tappets with shuttle-boxes which are so applied to the loom that they will admit of being moved either laterally, vertically, or diagonally, substantially as described.

4. Giving an intermittent, oscillating, or rotary movement to a shuttle-box actuator by means of pawls and ratchet-wheels, which are controlled by a cam-surface,'t, or its equivalent, substantially as described.

5. The use of tappets which receive a forward and backward movement or a continuous rotary movement, in combination with many-chambered shuttleboxes at both ends of the lathe, which boxes are connected together by a lever, G, and operated simultaneously by means oi' said tappets, substantially as described.

6. Giving a reciprocating movementto many-chambered shuttle-boxes of looms by means of contrivances which are controlled automatically in such manner that the boxes are moved a greater or less distance by a single vibration of the lathe, so as to throw the shuttles in regular order or to skip a shuttle, according to the iigure which it is desired to weave, substantially as described.

C. DUCKWORTH.

Witnesses:

WM. DUcxwoRTr-r, LEvEREr'r HITCHCOCK.

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