US484326A - Shedding mechanism for looms - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

F. LAGEY.

SHEDDING MECHANISM FOR LOOMS.

No. 484,326. Patented Oct. 11, 1892.

v [wax 75R- M (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

P. LAOEY.

SHEDDING MECHANISM FOR LOOMS.

No. 484,326. Q Patented Oct. 11, 1892.

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FRED LAGEY, OF ADAMS, MASSACHUSETTS.

SHEDDING' MECHANISM FOR LOOMS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 484,326, dated October 11, 1892.

Application filed September 23, 1891. Serial No. 406,599. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRED LACEY, a citizen of the United States, residingat Adams, in the county of Berkshire and State of- Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shedding Mechanism for Looms, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to shedding mechanisms for looms and in particular to what are known as dobbies. Shedding mechanisms for looms may be divided into two general classes-namely, those which are known as close shed and those which are known as open shed. In the class first mentioned each shed in the warp is formed by moving warp-threads out of the normal plane of the warp-threads in the loom, all of the threads thus moved out of the said plane being returned thereto afterapick of weft-thread has been introduced andprior to the formation of a new shed for the reception of the next Weft-thread. In the other class, if certain of the warp-threads are to appear on the same side of the weft-thread for two or more consecutive picks, such warp-threads will be caused to remain in the posit-ion into which they were at first moved until after all of such picks have been introduced. It is found desirable to employ open-shed harness-operating mechanism in weaving certain materials and when it is desired to produce certain fabrics, while the use of close-shed harness-operating mechanism is deemed best in the case of others. There is in use at the present time a form of open-shed dobby, in which each of the harness-levers has pivoted thereto a lever, this latter lever being sometimes termed a connector. Hooked jacks, which are pivoted to the opposite ends'of this connector, extend outward horizontally from the connector, one jack at a distance above the other, and beneath each horizontal series of the jacks pertaining to the series of harness-levers employed in the loom plays a horizontally-reciprocating bar called a lifter, the jacks being under the control of a patternchain and intermediate connections, by means of which the jacks may be either lifted out of position to be engaged bythe lifters or may be dropped into position to be engaged thereby. The lifters alternate in their reciprocations, one thereof moving outward as the other moves inward, and one or the other of the two lifters moves outward prior to each pick of the loom. When in their normal inner position with the jacks disengaged from the lifters and the harness-frames in their depressed normal position,both ends of the connectors rest against fixed back-stop bars. If now either of the jacks pivoted to a connector is permitted to become engaged with a lifter as the said lifter moves outward justprior to apick, the corresponding end of the connector will be moved outward and the connector will turn, as on a pivot, on that portion of the other end which rests against the corresponding back-stop bar, the harness-lever and harness-frame being changed in position in consequence of the movement of the connector. When the lifter just referred to movesinward after the said pick and prior to the next pick, the jack and corresponding end ofthze connector to which it is pivoted also move inward and the harness-lever and connected harness-frame return to their original positions unless the otherjack pivoted to the connector is permitted to become engaged by the other lifter, in which event the harnesslever and harness-frame areheld from returning to their original positions and the warpthreads controlled by the said harness-frame appear on the same side of the weft at the next pick 'of the latter. In this case, as the first jack moves inward withits lifter the other jack moves outward with its lifter, and the result is that the connector simply is swung on the pivot which joins it to the harness-lever, while the harness-lever, l1arness-frame, and the connected warp-threads remain in the position into which they formerly were movednamely, that for the 'open shed. This form of dobby is a general favorite, and great numbers of such dobbies have been applied to looms; but, as ordinarily constructed and arranged, it is unfit for doing work of the close-shed character, because of theimpossibility of causing a harness-frame which has been raised for one pick of weft to return to the close-shed position and then rise again prior to the succeeding pick. Heretofore when a mill has had the looms therein equipped with open-shed dobments in a dobby of the general character of that which has been described and will first be described in connection with the illustration thereof in the accompanyingdrawings, and then will be particularly pointed out in the claim at the close of this specification.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view in elevation of portion of a loom, showing my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a View in vertical section of a part of the devices shown in Fig.1; and Fig. 3 is a view of a portion of a pattern-chain, illustrating the manner in y which the pegs or pins are to be arranged thereon.

Certain of the parts shown in the drawings, as will be understood, are such as have heretofore been employed in looms and thedobbies usually applied thereto. These parts may be described, briefly, as follows,

A is the loom-frame. B is the crank-shaft of the loom mounted in the said frame.

0 are the harness-frames of the loom.

D are the harness-levers, to which the harness-frames are connected by cording E, and F are pulleys or sheaves around which the cording passes. In whatare known asspringdobbies the cording E is interposed only be tween the upper ends of the harness-levers and the upper sides of the harness-frames, and springs (not herein shown) are employed to draw down the harness-frames after the latter have been lifted, these springs being connected with the under sides of the harness-frames. In whatis known asapositive dobby, which is the varietylhave chosen to illustrate, the cording is connected with boththe upper and the lower sides of the harness-frames and with the opposite ends of the harness-levers, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, and the harness-levers are actuated in such a manner as to move the barness-frames positivelyin both directions, the springs being omitted.

D is the rod on which the harnessdevers are pivotally mounted.

(I are the connectors pivotally mounted on the harness-levers.

P are the back-stop bars against which the upper and lower ends of the connectors rest normally.

care the hooked jacks pivoted to the opposite ends of the connectors.

a are the lifters moving in slots 9 in the frame of the dobby.

b arerods connecting the ends of the lifters withthe opposite extremities of the arms H, mounted at both ends of the rock-shaft I. h are the vertical needles or wires, upon the upper ends of which the upper series of jacks rests, and Zare the pattern-levers or indicator-fingers pivotally mounted on .rod 1 and having upturned inner extremities, of which extremities those marked tact directly against the under sides of the jacks of the lower series, these jacks resting on said extremities, while the extremities marked support the lower end of the vertical wires or needles h. The weighted ends of the pattern -levers l overhang a pattern barrel n and are acted upon, asusual, by pegs or pins 0, inserted into holesn' in the bars of the pattermehain m, the said pattern-barrel 'n being provided with a ratchetwheel it, which is engaged by the pawl 11, connected with one end of one-of the levers or arms H, the pattern-barrel being given thereby a movement forward of one step at each inward movement of the lower lifter.

The parts of the dobby as thus far described, when combined with means for irnparting an oscillating motion to the rockshaft I, constitute all that it is usual to employ in a spring-dobby. In a positive dobby there are combined with the foregoing checkbars 0 O, which are notched or rabbeted on their under sides and disposed on the frame of the dobby adjacent to the free ends of the hooked jacks, above such free ends,

and in position to be engaged by the latter when the pattern connections operate to lift the jacks out of position to become engaged by the lifters, in order that the jacks thus lit ted may be prevented from having any unintentional outward movement whatever;

also, the depressors ff are provided, these be ing placed in inclined slots ggin the dobbyframe adjacent to the upper and lower ends of the connectors d and being connected at their ends by the rods 0 c to the ends of the lifters. These depressors thereby are caused to move with the adjacent litters and in the same direction therewith, respectively, and in operation they act, respectively,as the correspending lifters moveinward to carry inward positively the adjacent ends of the connectors which were 'moved out-ward in the last outward movement of the lifters.

There isnothing new in either the springdobby or 'the positive, dobby, so far as described. In the ordinary dobby the rock-shaft- I is actuated and the dobby thereby is oper ated through an arm K thereon,which is connected bya rod Lwith the operative mechanism of the. loom to which the dobby is applied.

Usually the said rod is connected with a crank or other device whereby the rock-shaft isgiven one complete oscillation or reciprocation for each two picks of the loom. The result of this is that one lifter moves outward at one pick of the loom simultaneously with the inward movement of the other lifter, and the latterlifter moves outward at the next pick simultaneously with the inward movement of the first lifter. In consequence the dobby is operative only on the open-shed principle, because there is no provision whereby a harness-frame that has been raised duringthe outward movement of alifter forone pick can be returned to its normal position and raised again prior to the succeeding pick, as. is ,required in close-shed weaving when the same warp-threads are to be lifted for successive sheds. In furtherance of, my present invention and with the object in View of rendering the dobby operative on theclose-shed principle I connect the rod L with a crank-pin M on a disk N, carried by the crank-shaft B of the loom, or by equivalent means I actuate the said rods with such speed and timing as to secure a complete oscillation of the rock-shaft I and a complete reciprocation of each ofrthe lifters for every rotation of the crank-shaft, and consequently for every pick of the loom. It is to be understood that I am aware that it is not new, broadly, to operate the rockshaft I with such timing as to occasion a complete reciprocation thereof at every rotation of the crank-shaft. This has been proposed before, and,also, in the endeavor to fit a dobby for close-shed weaving. How-' ever, in the only case at present known to me in which a dobby has beenadapted for closeshed weaving the connections intermediate the rock-shaft and one ofthe lifters and its connected depressor have been modified, so that that the movements of the said lifter and depressor have been reduced one-half, and in addition the hooked jacksVco-operating with such lifter have been freed from the control of the pattern devices and locked in engagement with the lifter. Thereby the said lifter and its connected depresser have been made operative to raise from the bottom portion of each shed to the central or closed plane of the shed just prior to the opening of anew shed the warpthreads of all the harness, frames which were left down at the opening of the shed immediately preceding and afterward to depress the harness-frames which are not lifted in the formation of thesaid new shed, the work of lifting the harnessframes to carry the warp-threads thereof to the top plane of each shed in the order dictated by the pattern and of afterward depressing them to the normal plane devolving upon the other lifter and its depressor.

By my invention, as will hereinafter be made to appear, I enable a dobby to be employed for close-shed weaving without any change being made in the mode of operation of the lifters and depressors or other-essential parts thereof or any change being made in the actuating connections of the lifters and depressors. I also fit the dobby for being employed in the production of fabrics wherein one part is woven on the close-shed principle and another part is woven on the openshed principle, the two parts being woven simultaneously or successively, as desired. I secure all these results by providing means for operating the shaft I with the timing described and by employing an arrangement of parts for controlling the jacks, in which, as shown in Fig.2 of the drawings, a separate indicator-finger or pattern-lever Z is employe for each individual jack of both horizontal series of jacks, and the pattern-chain has for each finger or lever Z a line of perforations, into which pins are inserted as required. T jacks of both series of jacks are thus individually and independently controlled by t e pattern-chain, whereas, usually, both of the jacks, connected with a connector, are un e the control of one and the same indicatorfinger or pattern-lever. There being two independent indicator fingers or levers for each harness-lever, one of such levers controlling the jack which is pivoted to the upper end of the connector for the said harness-lever and the other controlling the jack which is pivoted to the lower end of the said connector, either of the lifters, when desired, or both in succession, may be made'to act in moving the harness-lever and raising the harness-frame. How this enables me to secure the desired results will be readily under- S ee rom the following. In consequence of c ting the-rock-shaft I in a manner to oc- OEISiOIl a Complete oscillation of the same for each rotation of the crank-shaft of the loom One O the lifters'will be moved outward just prior to thefirst throw of the shuttle and inw rd right after said throw, while the other lifter will make its outward moveme t simultaneously with. the inward movee of the first lifter, this outward movement and the return of the second lifter ocg between two successive throws of the Sh ttle, and it will beobvious that the sheds in hewarp-threads for the reception of the t-thread must, inasmuch as it is the only 1 which isso timed in its movements as to he in its outer position at the time-the shut-' H is thrown, be formed through the action lthelifterfirstmentioned. For operating a harness-fr'amein the manner required for ose-shed weaving'the pins or pegs of the pattern-chain will-be so placed on the sucessive bars of the chain as to act only upon he indicator or pattern lever or fingerwhich controls the jack engaging with the said lifter first mentioned, and in consequence the other lifter will move to and fro without engaging with the other of the jacks belonging to the said harness-frame. It will be obvious that a jack whenever engaged by the first lifter will be drawn outward thereby prior to one pick and will be permitted to move inward immediately after that pick and before the formation of the next shed is begun. For operating a harness-frame in the manner required for open-shed weaving the pins or pegs of the pattern-chain will be so placed on the successive bars of the chain as to act upon both of the indicator or pattern levers or fingers which control the jacks pertaining to the harness-frame at those times when the said harness-frame is to be held elevated continuously. Thereby both of the jacks may be permitted to fall into position to engage with the lifters, and in this event each litter in turn will become operative to lift or maintain lifted the particular harness-frame which may be held up through as many picks as may be required. By suitably disposing the pins or pegs in the holes of the pattern-chain a harness-frame may be operated at one time as required for close-shed weaving and another time as required in open-shed weaving, or while one harness-frame or series of harness-frames in a loom are being operated as required in close-shed weaving another harness-frame or set of harness-frames in the same 100m may be operated asrequired for open-shed weaving.

In Fig. 3v of the drawings I have shown how the pins or pegs may he placed in the holes of the bars of a pattern-chain for securing the desired mode of operation of the harnessframes. line as w in the said figure I have represented by black dots the positions of the pins or pegs as required for close-shed weaving, while at the left-hand side of the said line I have represented the positions of the pins or pegs as required for open-shed weaving.

In the accompanying drawings I have represented all the pins or pegs for a single pick applied to a single bar of the pattern-chain and the pattern-chainas being moved forward one bar at eachv pick of the loom. The said pins or pegs, however, may be divided between two successive bars, and in this case the pattern-chain will be advanced one step 4 prior to the outward movement of each lifter or twice for each pick.

A practical weaver will see that my invention is particularly serviceable in the production of a fabric wherein the efiects due to different weaves and modes of weaving should appear in stripes side by side.

My invention is of particular service in cross-weaving. Heretofore in such weaving,

when dobbies have been employed, it has been necessary usually to employ special constructions and arrangements of parts for the At the right-hand sideot the dotted 1 purpose of lifting or easing up the warpthreads under which the doups are caused to pass, and thereby facilitating the movements of the doups and of the crossing warpthreads.

When using a dobby to which my invention has been applied, no change or addition is necessary when it is desired to do crossweaving. All that is required is to arrange the pins or pegs in the bars of the patternchain in a manner similar to that in which they are arranged for close-shed weaving.

I claim as my invention 1. In a loom, a series of harness-frames,

harness-levers, cording connecting said harness-frames with said harness-levers, a pair of hooked jacks operatively connected to each of said levers, two lifters to engage with the books of the said hooked jacks. operating de- 1 vices 'for giving to each of the said lifters a full 1 forward and return motion for every revolution of thecrank-shat't of the loom, patternindicating bars, means for moving the same, and two indicating-fingers for each harnesslever, operated upon by the pattern-bars, all combined substantially as described.

2. In a loom, a series of harness-frames,

harness-levers, cording connecting said harness-frames with said harness-levers, a pair of hooked jacks operatively connected to each i of said levers, two lifters for engaging with i the hooks of the said hooked jacks, operating 1 devices for giving to each of said lifters a full f forward and return; motion for every revolution of the crank-shaft of the loom, patterni indicating bars havingeach pick doubly indicated for open-shed formation and each 5 pick singly indicated for close-shed formation, means for moving said bars, and two indicating-fingers for each harness-lever operated upon by the pattern-bars, all combined and adapted to operate on both the open-shed principle and the close-shed principle at the same pick of the loom, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix mysignaturein FRED LAGEY.

; presence of two witnesses.

Witnesses:

H. H. WELLINGTON, ALFRED B. MOLE.

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