US1758594A - Laundry machinery - Google Patents

Description

May 13; N30, E. J. CARROLL LAUNDRY MACHINERY Filed Nov. 27, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 13, 1930. E. J. CARROLL LAUNDRY MACHINERY 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 2'7, 1925 INVENTOR flkw/ ATT R Yr May 13, 1930. E. J. CARROLL LAUNDRY mcnmnnv Filed Nov. 27, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 III/I III/1111104 r IllllllllI/IIIIIII!I Patented May 13, 1930 PATENT OFFICE UNITED STATES EMIL' J. CARROLL, OF NORWOOD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN LAUNDRY MACHINERY COMPANY, OF NORWOOD, OHIO, A CORPORATION OHIO LAUNDRY MACHINERY Application filed November 27, 1925. Serial No. 71,777.

This invention relates to laundry machines of that type wherein a cylindrical container is rotated within a casing, the contents of the cylinder being processed meanwhile by fiu1ds 5 such as detergent liquid, rinsingfhquid or drying air, passing through perforations 1n the cylinder.

In such machines a circumferentially sliding door is customarily provided in the cylinder, which must be brought into reglstry with a corresponding door in the casing for loading and unloading the cylinder; and 1n drying machines various auxiliaries to the process are included within the casing, as for example heating coils and dehnting' screens,

which require frequent inspection for maintaining them free from accumulated substances which render them inefficient.

One of the objects of myinvention is the provision of improved means for openin the doors of the casing easily and quickly and yet dependent upon the cylinder within being stationary, and means for preventing rotation of the cylinder thereafter until the doors are closed and secured. A further object is the provision of means for rendering the position of the cylinder easily visible from without the casing so that the. cylinder doors may be aligned with the casing doors before the doors are opened. Another object of the invention is the provision of means for rendering visible from without the casing, the interior of the cylinder and its contents, so that the operator may observe and more accurately control the process within the cylinder throughout its successive stages. A still further object is the provision of means for easy inspection of the various auxiliaries described from without the casing, thus rendering interruption of the process by' opening the casing for inspection unnecessary.

The exact nature of my invention is made clear in the following description, referring to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the machine from the operating or front side; Fig. 2 is a perspective of a part of the rear of the machine; Fig. 3 is a detail showing the manner of securing the observation ports in the casing; Fig. is a detail in perspective of the control handle and adjacent parts of the machlne; Fig. 5 is a detail of the door raising means; Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation of the door latch and coactingmechanism, the view being taken looking endwise at the machine from the right .in Fig. 1; Fig. 7 is a sectional plan v ew on a larger scale, of the parts shown in F ig. 6; Fig. 8 is a sectional detail of the control handle and switch operated thereby; Fig. 9 is an across-the-line diagram of the electrical system; and Fig. 10 is a sectional detail of the brake.

In the machine illustrated 1 represents a casing surrounding the cylinder. 2 and provided with the doors 3 in front of the cylinder, which carries corresponding doors as will be well understood by one familiar with the art, and doors 4 in the front and rear of the machine through which access may be had to the delinting screens and heating coils respectively within the casing. In all of these doors are placed observation ports 5 as illustrated, covered with transparent material such as glass and made air tight by any suitable packing and-framing as that shown in Fig. 3; and through which the various parts within the casing may be observed. At the ends of the casing and in the cylinder ends are similar observation ports through which the contents of the cylinder and advancement of the process therein may be easily observed.

The cylinder is electrically driven by the motor 6, is stopped by the brake 8, and is controlled by the control handle 9, which by a cam 10 integral therewith operates the spring opened starting switch 11, and through link 12 operates the brake 8. In the position of the control lever shown in Figs. 4 and 8, the brake is off and the starting switch is closed making a circuit through its contacts 11 to energize the coil of main contactor 13, which in turn completes the motor running circuit. In the motor circuit is the reversing drum 7 which automatically reverses the motor and thereby the cylinder 2 at periodic intervals of running.

Mounted upon the casing at one end is a box 19 containing automatic mechanism to be described. To the free end of one of the doors 100 3 as at the opposite end of the machine as seen in Fig. 1, is secured a latch finger 14 which in the closed position of the door enters an opening 19 in box 19 secured upon the end of the machine as indicated in Figs. 6 and 7 and cooperates with the notch 15 in the latch lever 16. The latch lever 16 is secured upon the shaft 17 which is resiliently urged in a counter clockwise direction (Fig. 6) by the spring 18. In the box 19 is mounted an electromagnet 20 and axially mounted for actuation by the magnet is armature 21 normally urged toward the position shown in Fig. 6 by the spring 22, and provided with a split arm 23 carrying at its end the roller 24. Upon the opposite end of shaft 17 is fixed a segment 25 stepped as shown in Fig. 6 to engage the roller 24. It will be seen that as the casing door is closed, the latch 14 will engage the notch in the lever 16, push back said lever and rotate the shaft 17 to the position shown, when the first step in segment 25 will be engaged by the roller 24 to retain the mechanism in this position and thus prevent the casing door from being reopened until the armature 21 is actuated by the energizing of the magnet 20,

when the finger 24 will be lifted from engagement with the first step in the segment 25 and spring 18 will cause rotation of the shaft 17 when door 3 is opened until the second step in the segment is engaged by the roller 24 to limit the motion of the shaft 17.

' nism described.

Above the casing doors are mounted retrieving pulleys 26, spring actuated as shown in Fig. 5 and provided with flexible connections to the casing doors so that when the latch 14 is released by the energizing of the magnet 20 as above described, the doors 3 provided the are not secured by the hand latches 27, are opened by the pulleys 26.

The starting switch 11 is provided with contact fingers 28 in the energizing circuit of the magnet 20 and arranged to be bridged by the contact member 29 when the switch is in the off position for the starting circuit. Thus until the motor is stopped the casing doors are maintained closed by the latching mecha- Within the box 19 are two contact fingers 30, in the energizing circuit for the contactor 13, andon the shaft 17 is a bridging member 31therefor arranged as shown to maintain the energizin circuit open "except when the lever 16 is hel by the arm'14 in the position of Fig. 6. Thus until the casing door is closed and latched in the position shown, the contactor 13 cannot be actuated to start the motor 6, even though the starting switch 11 be closed. v

In operation of the machine, in starting,- the casing doors are first closed, making a contact acrossthe contacts 30, and actuating the magnet latching mechanism as described, and the doors are secured closed by the hand latches 27. The machine may then be start- 'to break the contact across the fingers 28, de

energizing the magnet 20 and latching the doors through members 14 and 16 as described; and making contact across the contacts 11 to energize the contactor 13, which in turn completes the motor circuit.

When it is desired to stop the machine with the cylinder doors in position for loading, the control handle 9 is moved by the operator to the stop position, breaking the circuit to the contactor 13 and thus stopping the motor, and through the link 12 applying the brake 8. In my invention the operator, by observing the position of the cylinder through the ports 5 in the casing doors 3, and by proper manipulation of the control handle 9 to alternately apply the power and brake as necessary, may inc the cylinder into the desired position. When this is accomplished the handle 9 being in the stop position and the brake applied, contact is made between the fingers 28 to energize the magnet 20, which releases the magnetic latch. Thereafter upon releasing the hand latches 27, the casing doors 3 are raised to and held in the open position by the retrieving pulleys 26.

From the foregoing it is clear that I have provided an electrical interlock between the cylinder control means and the casing door latching mechanism whereby it is impossible to open the doors without first stopping the motor and applying the brake; and by providing observation ports in the casing door have made it possible to bring the cylinder y to a stop in the necessary position without the scribed, a casing having a door, a work-receiving cylinder rotatable in said casing and having a door, an observation transparency in said casing through which said cylinder is visible, and means foreifecting inching movement of said cylinder to bring its door into registry with said casing door, said inchin means having a control part located outsi e of-said casing adjacent said transparency, so that the operator can observe said cylinder through said transparency while operating said inching means, and may therefore be advised when he has brought the door of said cylinder into registry with the door of said casing.

2. In a laundry machine of the class described, a casing having a door, a work-receivmg cylmder rotatable in said casing and having a door, latch means for said casing door, means associating said latch means with said cylinder to secure said casing door closed during movement of the cylinder, an observation transparency in said casing through which said cylinder is visible, and means for efl'ecting inching movement of said cylinder to bring its door into registry with said casing door, said inching means having a control part located outside of said casing adj a cent said transparency, so that the operator can observe said cylinder through said transparency while operating said inching means,

and may therefore be advised when he has brought the door of said cylinder into registry with the door of said casing.

In testimony whereof I hereby afiix my signature.

EMIL J. CARROLL.

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