US2413728A - Compensator - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 7, 1947. ROBINSON 2,413,728

COMPENSATOR Original Filed June 26, 1942 INVENTOR Jonas Robinson,

ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 7, 1947 COMPENSATOR v Jonas Robinson, Clarke Summit, Pa.

Original application June 448,527, now Patent No. her 9,, 1945. Divided and 26, 1942, Serial No. 2,386,574, dated Octothis application December 23, 1944, Serial No. 569,558

4 Claims. (01. 87-14) This invention relates to pattern-controlling means and refers, more particularly, to means connecting a jacquard with heddles, jacks, pickers or other thread-controlling elements of a loom or'textile machine. v

This application is a division of my co-pending patent application, Serial No. 448,527, filed June 26, 1942.

As iswell known, jacquards are utilized for the selective operation of heddles carrying the warp-threads in the case of a loom or the corresponding' jacks or pickers in case of acurtain machine or Nottingham lace machine, to deter mine the pattern of fabric produced on the loom or machine. For that purpose, the heddles or jacks are all individually connected by a series of strings or cords withthe lifters, hooks or needles of the jacquard. The number of strings is equal to that of the heddles or jacks and is quite great. The jacquard is mounted, of necessity, high above the loom or machine frame, the length of the strings or cords extending between the jacquard and the heddles or jacks being often from to feet.

It was found that these very long strings and cords change in length with each change of the weather and its accompanying change of moisture content in the atmosphere. This change of length of string shows at its lower extremity which is the jack. A string may extend during dry weather to such an extent that the opera tion of the jacquard will not result in the withdrawal of a jack or heddle, or a string may contract during a period of great humidity so much that the jack or heddle will remain withdrawn despite the operations of the jacquard. As the string varies in length the jack moves from its regulated position either to a position too far forward in a dry atmosphere or too far back in a moist atmosphere in relation to the spool thread. In either case, it means a fault in the pattern of the lace. Constant attention and frequent adjustments are necessary to prevent those faults. It is among the important objects of the present invention to control the effects of changes in weather conditions on the expansion andnontraction of jacquard harness strings and cords.

Another object is to provide acompensating device which will insure proper operation of the heddles and jacks by a=jacquard irrespective of the contraction or extension ofthe connecting v strings and cords.

Afurther object is to eliminate the necessity for constant attention and frequent adjustments of the jacquard connecting means through the specification.

provision of automatically operable compensating means interposed between the jacquard and the elements operated thereby.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent in the course of the following In accomplishing the objects of the present invention, it was found desirable to insert into the line of each individual connecting string a metal element or equalizer which specifically com ensates against shrinkage or stretch of the string occasioned by humidity changes. ihe element is preferably located fairly close to the lower ex tremity of the string, namely, close to the loom or machine and is so shaped and placed in such manner as to compensate for and absorb all expansion and contraction of the string from its upper extremity at the jacquard to the pointof contact, with the element. This may be accom plished by allowing the element to carry out a movement which-is different from the movement of the string actuated by the jacquard. The string movement and said different movement of the element are so combined and/or correlated that as soon as action is'transmitted by the jacquard, the element will be able to manipulate its jack or heddle in the required manner irrespective of any extensions or contractions of the string. v

Thus, in accordance with the present invention, one continuous string, the length of which is constant and whose sole function is to exert a pull on the jack to an extent equal to the amount of lift that the jacquard calls for, is replaced by a connection consisting of the top string, an equal-- izer and the bottom string. The equalizer performs the following two functions:

Firstly, it serves as a connecting link between the top and the bottom strings and transforms the lift of the jacquardinto the pull on the jack,

just as though there were one continuous string.

Secondly, it is so constructed that automatically it can neutralize the eifect of humidity on the string, 1. e. the change in the length of the top string, and thus still transmit to the jack the entire pull of the jacquard.

According to some of the preferred embodiments of the'inventive idea,th e element, which breaks up the continuity of the fabric string, may have the form of a-plate, and may carry out a pulling movement, as well as a swinging movement. The swinging movement may be produced by an external force and may be transmitted to the jack or heddle; in that case the pulling movement is the one received by the elements from the string. On the other hand, the swinging movement may be caused by a guide forming a part of the plate and may constitute a component of the string movement, while another component is transmitted by the plate to the jack or heddle; this construction may be used for varying the lift of a jack or heddle and/or operating a jack or heddle from a plurality of jacquards.

The portion of string below the equalizer, while still being subject to changes in length through weather conditions, is so short that any slight change in length due to weather changes would be negligible and its effects would not be noticeable on the woven fabric.

The invention will appear more clearly from the followingdetailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing showing, by way of example only, some of the preferred embodiments of the inventive idea.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side view illustrating the use of pattern-controlling means which are constructed in accordance with the present invention, in a Nottingham lace curtain machine.

Figure 2 is a partial top view along the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 shows a compensating plate in side elevation,

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a somewhat different compensating plate.

Figure 1 of the drawin illustrates diagrammatically a Nottingham lace curtain machine [5, a jacquard l6 and a compensating or equalizing deice I'l.

While Nottingham lace curtain machines are shown in the drawing in conjunction with the compensating devices, such devices maybe conveniently used with any other type of textile machine, such as a loom or a curtain machine of any type.

The Nottingham lace curtain machine 15 is of standard construction and is shown merely in the form of a diagram in Figure l. The machine comprises carriages l8 carrying disc-like bobbins I9. Bobbins I9 carry tyin threads 28 and are thrown between warp threads 2| and spool or patterning threads 22. There is one bobbin for every warp thread. Each bobbin I9 is fiat and contained in a carriage; it travels through the threads at right angles to the line of threads, forward and back at each motion of the machine, twisting around the threads and holding them into a lace fabric Warp threads 2| extend through uniformly spaced openings 'ofa warp bar or guide bar 23 and form a background of tightly held threads. Spool threads 22 extend through similar openings of a spool bar or guide 'bar 26. There is a spool thread for each warp thread. The bar 24 has a side motion which allows each thread to be built up, motion by motion, into a pattern. Jacks 25 are carried by a jack bar 26 and are adapted to project between a pair of warp and spool threads. The jacks consist of steel wires arranged side by side across the mahine, one jack for each warp thread; they move through the threads from back to front. The tips of the jacks are regulated in a straight line directly behind the line of spool threads. Each jack 25 is provided with a curved portion 21 to which an end of a string 28 is attached.

In prior art, strings 28 extended over sley bars directly to a jacquard l6, making a right angle turn at a point about two feet from the jack.

Thus each jack is controlled separately from the jacquard by means of a pulling movement of a string or harness.

In operation, bobbins l9 reciprocate in the direction of the arrow 30 (Fig. 1) by being thrown between the separated threads, whilethe bars 23 and 24 reciprocate in the direction of their lengths. There is one warp thread for each gauge of the machine. The warp bar 23 moves all of the warp threads 2| in unison and has a side motion to allow the bobbin [9 to pass on each side of the Warp threads forward and back and around it to tie it and hold the spool threads in position as they are built up to form a pattern.. The jack bar 26 carries out a reciprocatory turning movement and moves the jacks 25 to the withdrawn position shown by broken lines in Figures 1 and 7. At that time some of the needles of the jacquard 16 are operated.

The function of the jacks is to hold certain of the spool threads from the side motion. Those spool threads that are not held mak the side motion, are picked up into position bya set of points and tied to the warp, and in this manner build up the pattern motion by motion.

As already stated, in prior art the strings 28 were directly actuated by the jacquard needles, which pulled-them taut. Therefore, when the jack bar 26 moved back to the normal position indicated by full lines in the drawing, some of the resilient jacks 25 were maintained in the withdrawn broken-line position by their taut strings 28, and remained out of engagement with the threads 2i and 22 during the movement of the bars 23 and 2 3, until-the jacquard needles released the strings and the resilient jacks sprang back to their normal position. 7

The pattern of a fabric depends upon the positions of the jacks 25 in relation to the threads 21 and 22, said positions being determined by the needles of the jacquard l6 and the strings 28 operated thereby. Each jack is controlled separately, through the medium of a pattern made of punched cards. Strings 28 may maintain the jacks 25 in full lift position, or a halflift position in which the tip of a jack is located between the two bars. i

The described operation of a Nottingham lace curtain machine is well known and does not constitute a part of the present invention which is concerned with means transmitting the movement of the needles of a jacquard [6 through the strings 2'8 for the purpose of maintaining some of the jacks 25 in the withdrawn positions.

As already stated, the strings between v the jacquard and the jacks may be as long as'f20 or 25 feet, while the full path, of movement of the 2 upper end of a jack for a full lift is about one inch. It is apparent that variations, in atmos- 0 pherichumidity willcause the strings to contract or expand. The variation in the length is probably five-eighths of an inch during a change of weather from complete saturation. of moisture to complete dryness in the atmosphere. The change from day to day may be from one-eighth to one-quarter of an inch. If the strings contract too much,.they may prevent the jacksv from assuming their normal forward position, so that the jacks will remain. in the half lift or full lift positions despite the release of the strings by the needles of the jacquard. On the other hand, if the strings expand too much, a jack maybe returned to a half lift or forward position despite the movement of the corresponding needle of the jacquard to the full lift position. In either latory mechanism comprising an 5. event, the correct transmission of the pattern from jacquard to cloth is prevented.

- In accordance with the present invention, the expansion and contraction of the harness strings is automatically compensated by a compensator or equalizer ll (Figures 1, 2 and 3). The function of the equalizer is to so control the length of the strings that a straight line of jackswill be maintained in the same position in all condi tions of weather changes. Thus the equalizer separates the top and bottom strings.

The compensator Ill comprises a plurality of thinmetal plates 33, the number of the plates being equal to that of the jacks. For example, in. the case of a six-point machine; there are six plates side by side for each inch across the machine. Each plate 33 is attached by a separate bottom string-28 to a separate jack 25, soas to make a horizontal pull on the jack.- The plates 33 extend in vertical rows and are separated fromeachother by partitions 35 which are attached to a wall 3-5. The strings 28 are attached to ears 3.5 situated at the bottom of the plates 33. The plates are located on the level with the jacks to make a right angle turn in the strings. The forward edge of the plate 33, which faces the machine It, consists of a vertical bottom portion 59 and an upper vertical portion 55 joined by a horizontal portion 52, the plate being wider at the bottom than at the top.

Each plate 33 is connected at 3? by a separate top string I28 with a separate actuating needle (not shown) of the jacquard it. The strings I23 extend upwardly and are very long, While the strings 28 are quite short and extend substantially horizontally. The plate 33 does not control or come in contact with the machinery parts of the loom, such as heddles or dobbies; itis a part of and controls each individual string and each individual string must be equipped with one plate.

- It is thus apparent that according to the present invention, the single string of prior art constructions is separated. close to the textile ma chine into two strings 23 and ma and a compensating plate is connected to both strings.

The jacquard needle exerts an upward pull upon the string [238 and the plate 33 connected therewith. When the string l28 is of normal length, the extent of the upward movement of the plate 33 is represented by the distance between the lines 38 and 39 in Figure 3. As already stated, this upward, movement of the string 523 and of the plate 33 is caused by a jacquard needle when for pattern purposes the corresponding jack 25 should be retained in the rearward or lift position.

The upward movement of a plate 33 is transmitted to the corresponding string 28 by an oscil elongated shogging bar 40 which is carried by levers 4i mounted upon .a pivot 42. The levers M carry cam followers 43 engaging cams M which arerotatable along with a driving shaft d5 and which are provided with circular surfaces 45 and projections l. Springs 48 maintain the cam followers 43in engagement with the cams 45.

It is apparent that when a projection M engages the cam follower 43, the lever M is swung toward the plate 33. As soon as theprojection 4'! is moved beyond the cam follower, the spring 38 pulls back the lever 4!, so that the lever 4! and the bar 40 connected therewith carry out an oscillatory or swinging movement.

The length of movement of the bar 4!] depends upon the size of the projections 41, and the latter are so dimensioned, that when a plate 33 is in its lowermost position of rest, the tip 53 of the bar 46 moves not far from the line 38 of Figure 3 and in its extreme forward position is situated beyond an extension of the line 553 but at a distance from the edge 5!.

When a plate 33 is pulled upwardly by a string I28, the tip 53 of the bar will move in the vicinity of the line 39 of Figure 3 and will strike the plate 33 at about the point 54 of the edge as, since the edge to is further forward than the edge 5 l. The bar ill will swing the plate 33 and at first one edge of the plate 33 will engage the wall 35. whereupon the plate 33 will be pressed in its entirety against the wall 35. Obviously, the strinr 28 will be stretched taut during this movement of the plate 33 and if, at that time the jack bar 26 swings forward, the'string 28 willretain its pack 25 in the withdrawn position.

The position of the'ca-m M and the speed of its rotation are so selected that the time interval during which the bar All exerts its pressure against the edge 50 of a plate 33 coincides approximately with the time period during which the corresponding needle of the jacquard H3 exerts its pulling force upon the string E28, these time periods being sufiicient to maintain the jack 25 out of engagement with the threads 2i and 22 during a back-and-iorth movement of the bars 23 and 24.

g If atmospheric conditions or other circumstances cause an expansion or extension of the long string I28, then this string will be more slaclr between the jacquard I5 and the plate and the plate 33 will hang lower. Then the point of contact between the tip 53 of the bar 49 and the edge 59 of the plate 33 in the full lift position of the plate will be shiftedupwardly from normal location 54 and toward the edge 52. However, so long as the tip 53 can strike the edge 59, the expansion of the string l23 will not influence the action of the plate 33 upon the string 23 and the jack connected therewith.

If the string I28 is contracted by atmospheric conditions, the plate 33 will move upwardlmbut its operation will not be afiected so long as the tip 53 of the bar All can swing above the edge 52 in the non-lifting position of the plate.

It is apparent that in ac ordance with the present invention, the continuous length of string, whose single function is to pull and hold the jack in its position, has been changed to pulling unit composed of the top string, the equal izer and the bottom string.

The equalizer compensates equally well either in case of a gradual slow change in weather con ditions, or in case of a sudden violent change, and maintains at all conditions of the weather the same relative position of the jack at its point of contact with the lace in the making.

Figure 4 showsa plate [33 which may be used to maintain the jack connected thereto not only in the non-lifting and full lift positions, but in" the half lift position as well. Forthat urpose, the front edge of the plate [33 has three vertical portions 56, 63 and 6| and two horizontal por tions 52 and 6:3. The jack remains in the nonlifting forwardposition so long as the shogging bar moves above the horizontal edge 64. The jack is maintained in a half lift position when the plate is somewhat moved by the shogging bar after the bar engages the edge 63. The jack is maintained in its full lift position when the plate is moved to its full extent by the shogging bar which engages the edge 60 of the plate.

' It is apparent that the string I28 may expand or contract within wide limits without interfering with the action of the plate I33.

It was found that normal atmospheric variations may cause a variation of up to one inch in the length of a string I28, the operative extent of which may range between 16 and 20 feet. The plates 33 and I33 must be constructed so as to be able to compensate for this variation.

It is apparent that the described equalizers are designed so that they will work in connection with the jacquard harness string automatically and by gravity for the control of the weather conditions so far as they afiect a lace machine or other jacquard machines in the transferring of the pattern from the jacquard to the woven fabric. The action of the equalizers is not on some part of the machine or loom, such as heddles or dobbies, but is directly on the individual strings, afiecting only the strings themselves. The equalizers are so designed and placed as to neutralize the variations in length of the long top strings occasioned by the changes in relative humidity; they do not have any control over the changes in length of the bottom strings occurring from-a similar cause. However, the top string is such a large percentage of the total length and the bottom string such a small percentage of the total length that the variations in length of the bottom string are not of a serious consequence.

It is apparent that the specific illustrations shown above have been given by way of illustration and not by way of limitation and that the described methods and devices are subject to wide variation and modification, without departing from the scope or intent of the present invention; all of su h variations and modifications are to be included within the scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a textile machine of the type having a plurality of thread-actuating elements and a jacquard having pulling elements for operating said thread-actuating elements, and elongated connecting elements having ends attached to said pulling elements; a device for compensating for the expansion and contraction of said connecting elements, said device comprising other connecting elements connected to said thread-actuating elementsand plates connected to the first-mentioned connecting elements and the second-mentioned connecting elements, said plates and said second-mentioned connecting elements being so located in relation to the firstmentioned connecting elements that a reciprocation of a pulling element is transmitted by a firstmentioned connecting element to a plate, but is not transformed into a pulling movement of the second-mentioned connecting element connected to the plate, and means engaging said plates when they are in raised positions to move such raised plates along with the second-mentioned connecting elements, connected to said raised plates, and thereby to cause such second-mentioned connecting elements to carry out pulling movements, said means being adapted to engage said plates in a plurality of places to compensate for an extension or contraction of the first-mentioned connecting elements.

2. In a device connecting a pulling element of a jacquard with a thread-actuating element of a,

textile machine, an elongated connecting element having one end connected to said pulling element, another connecting element having one end con nected to said thread-actuating element, a plate connected to the two connecting elements and so located in relation thereto that a raising and lowering of said pulling element is transmitted by the first-mentioned connecting element to said plate but is not transformed into a, pulling movement of the second-mentioned connecting element, and means reciprocating in a direction substantially transverse to the direction of the raising and lowering of said plate and engaging said plate when it is in the raised position to move the raised plate along with the second-mentioned connecting element, whereby the second-' mentioned connecting element carries out a pulling movement, said means being adapted to engage said plate in a plurality of places to compensate for an extension or contraction of the first-mentioned connecting element.

3. A device for compensating for the extension and contraction of an elongated connecting element extending between an actuating element and an actuated element, said device comprising a plate suspended by its top from said connecting element and having a narrower top portion and a wider base portion, whereby said plate is raised and lowered by a movement of said actuating element'which is transmitted to said connecting element, reciprocating means engaging the base portion of said plate when the plate is in the raised position and swinging said plate, and another connecting element connected to said plate and said actuated element and transforming solely said swinging movement of the plate into a pulling movement of the second-mentioned connecting element, said means being adapted to engage said plate in a plurality of places to compensate for an extension or contraction of the first-mentioned connecting element.

4. In textile machinery, a device for compensating for the extension and contraction of an elongated connecting element extending between an actuating element of a jacquard and an actuated thread-operating element of a textile machine, said device comprising a plate suspended by its top from said connecting element and having a narrower top portion and a wider base portion, whereby said plate is raised and lowered by a movement of said actuating element which is transmitted to said connecting element, a shogging bar, and means reciprocating said shogging bar close to said plate, the tip of said shogging bar moving above the base portion of said plate, said shogging bar being devoid of engagement with said plate in the lowered position of the latter and striking the base portion of said plate when the plate is in the raised position and swinging said plate, and another connecting element connected to said plate and said actuated element and transforming solely said swinging movement of the plate'into a pulling movement of the second-mentioned connecting element, said shogging bar being adapted to strike said plate in a plurality of places to compensate for an extension or contraction of the first-mentioned connecting element.

' JONAS ROBINSON.

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