Abstract:
A collar for selectively connecting and disconnecting twines and harness cords in a jacquard harness mechansim for a weaving loom. The collar includes a socket element having at least one elastically deformable chuck with jaws for engaging a prong of a male element inserted within the socket element. The male element includes a shuttle which is moveable along a rod which extends from the prong to an intermediate portion of the male element which aligns the male element with the socket element. The shuttle separates the jaws of the at least one elastically deformable chuck during relative axial movement of the male element with respect to the socket element to permit the prong of the male element to be inserted into or withdrawn from engagement with the socket element.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to the Jacquard mechanisms for the milling on looms and it relates, in particular, to the harnesses that are attached to the moveable operating elements of these mechanisms for the control of the warp yarn. 
     2. History of the Related Art 
     It is known that a harness of typical construction comprises a multitude of twines, the number of which is equal to that of the mechanism&#39;s operating elements; each of these twines is tied in with one or several harness cords which, in turn, are fastened to the eyeletted heddles. The fastening of these twines and of the harness cords is by means of snaps, of very poor control, and it can be seen that the disassembling and the subsequent reassembling of a harness be it for repairs or its replacement, implies the handling of several thousands of snaps. Therefore, the operation is lengthy and tedious, thus causing a costly interruption of production. 
     Consequently, the chief object of the present invention is to remedy this inconvenience, to wit, by using a collar joint that is designed in a such manner so as to render a simple and quick operation, requiring that only one piece be moved in an axial direction. 
     In a technical field other than that of the invention, Patent EP 197,331 discloses, for example, jewelry clasps having a pointed end and a shuttle, that are used under very different conditions than those of looms. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The collar joint in accordance with the invention comprises two elements, male and female, that are affixed, respectively, to the extremities of the twine and of the harness cord to be fastened, in such a manner that one of these elements can axially fit into the other. The female element comprises at least one chuck whose jaws are shaped so that they grip the male element directly behind a prong provided at the end of the male element. Behind the prong, the male element is provided with an axially moveable sleeve or shuttle in order to ensure the operation of the jaws when they are opening or closing. The bearing area of the jaws against the back of the prong is essentially parallel to the back of the prong when the chuck is in a closed position. 
     According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the bearing area of the chuck against the back of the prong is essentially radial when the chuck is in a closed position. Thus, the vibrations due to the movements of the loom and of the surroundings that constantly act upon the jaws cause them to be flexing, which is suitable to their geometry. Therefore, there is no risk of wear and tear or of a breaking of the jaws because such a risk would exist in the case of a collar in which the jaws would rest on a ridge or on their edges against the back of the prong. The jaws would thus be acted upon by creep and their pin shaped extremities would be worn out by multiple contacts with the prong. 
     In an another advantageous embodiment of the invention, the bearing area of each jaw against the shuttle is essentially axial when the chuck is in an open position. This causes the stresses transmitted by the chuck to the shuttle to be radial, that is to say, perpendicular to the shuttle with respect to the rest of the male element. Thus, the shuttle does not tend to be displaced by the axial stresses imparted by the jaws and, in particular, there is not risk that these stresses move it to the opposite side of the prong. 
     Consequently, the axial length of the shuttle is greater than the distance between the external surface of the jaws and the back of the prong when the male element is completely inserted into the female element. The shuttle does not to slip from the jaws when being pushed back between the jaws and the prong. This features makes it possible to prevent the risks of a jamming of the shuttle. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention will be better understood and some of its other advantages will be more clearly elucidated in light of the below description of an embodiment of a removable collar for the fastening of twines and cords of a harness of a Jacquard mechanism, given solely by way of example and referenced in the hereto attached drawings wherein: 
     FIG. 1 shows in a schematic form the general disposition of a harness of a jacques mechanism; 
     FIG. 2 shows in a cutaway perspective view the two elements constituting a collar according to the invention, and 
     FIGS. 3 to 6 show axial sections at an enlarged scale, illustrating the successive steps of the collar&#39;s operating process. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     In FIG. 1, reference number 1 designates a weaving mechanism of VERDOL or Jacquard type held above the loom by a structure 2. Each of the usual twines 3 of the mechanism 1 is fastened by means of a removable collar 4 to one or several harness cords 5 that transverse a board with holes 6, underneath of which each twine passes through a cording board 7 and is provided with a reed eyelet 8 prior to be attached to a return spring 9 that is affixed to a base plate 10, located underneath the (not shown) loom. 
     Each collar 4 is constituted by two components, namely, one female element or socket 11 integral with one or several harness cords 5 and one male element or ferrule 12, the lower part of which interacts with the element 11. 
     As shown, the female element 11 is constituted by a tubular, cylindrical element, open at its top, that is obtained by casting a semi-rigid plastic material susceptible to elastic deformation. Underneath its opening at the top, this element 11 has longitudinally punched-out slots that define two chucks 13 opposed to each other, one being independent of the other, the lower extremity of which is curved to form a slightly concave 13a. 
     The male element 12 is constituted by a cylindrical piece of a rigid plastic material, having a logitudinal axis A--A whose lower extremity is shaped to form a prong 12a. On the cylindrical rod 12b of lesser diameter that rises above this prong 12a, slides freely a shuttle 14 constituted by a split ring which, through momentary elastic deformation, is susceptible to be engaged on the rod 12b, between the back on outwardly extending flange 12e and prong 12a and the ring-shaped shoulder 12c of an intermediate cylindrical portion 12f of the male element 12. Its upper portion 12g is axially deepened in order to take up and hold the extremity of one of the twines 3 of the mechanism; likewise, the bottom portion 11a of the female element 11 of the collar is fashioned in such a manner as to receive and hold the extremity of one or of several harness cords 5. 
     When the mechanism 1 is in an operating mode, each of the collars 4 according to the invention is in the coupled position as illustrated in FIG. 3. The prong 12a is engaged in the female element 11 and it is positioned in such an axial position that the lower jaws 13a are located immediately above the prong, so that the prong is held in place preventing any separation of the elements 11 and 12. Thus, the chucks 13 are in a closed position. 
     Due to that the jaws 13a are constituted by the curved extremity of the chucks 13, the bearing area 13b of the jaws against the back or flange 12e of the prong 12a is essentially radial. Each chuck 13 functions thus in a flexible manner when the prong tends to shift, which is compatible with the mechanical properties of the semi-rigid plastic material utilized in the manufacture of the chucks 13. This is particularly advantageous with respect to a mechanism in which the chucks would rest on their edges against the back of the prong because then the jaws would thus be subjected to creep caused by the vibrations of the loom and of the surroundings, as well as by the weight of the harness, which could bring about that they break or warp in the direction of the shuttle which would risk a blocking of the shuttle in its position. 
     Moreover, the fact that the bearing area of the jaws 13a at the back of the prong 12a is essentially radial prevents that a pointed cant or the edge of the jaws 13a would not rest against the prong 12a, which could bring about an early wear and tear caused by the previously mentioned vibrations and load. Thus, the disposition of the jaws 13a with respect to the prong 12a allows the withstanding of the considerable mechanical stresses imparted upon the collar. 
     It must be well understood that, if the back or flange 12e of the prong 12a is not perpendicular to the its axis of movement, but presents a positive angle with respect to the horizontal so that the prong is shaped like an arrow, the external bearing area of the jaws 13a can be adjusted so that, when the mechanism is in the position illustrated in FIG. 3, the external area of the jaws 13a and the back of the prong rest against each other in an essentially parallel manner. 
     Whenever the collar 4 is to be disassembled, the operator exercises upon the elements 11 and 12 an axial contraction stress in order to bring them closer together. With this axial movement, the jaws 13a of the chucks 13 slide along the cylindrical rod 12b causing a very slight raising of the shuttle 14. 
     Continuing the axial movement of bringing together, at a given moment, the shuttle 14 reaches its upward end of travel against the ring-shaped shoulder 12c, such as shown in FIG. 4, so that the jaws 13a, after having been caused to open by means of a chamfered edge 14a provided at the lower edge of the shuttle, then grip whatever is axially integral with the chucks 13 and the female element 11, being the chucks in their open position. 
     The chamfered edge 14a contributes to facilitate that the shuttle 14 opens the jaws 13a and it can be observed that through the combination of the curved jaws 13a and the chamfered edge 14a there can be obtained a considerable radial movement of the jaws by means of a slight axial movement and, consequently, a good dimensioning of the span, having regard however for a minimum overall space, which constitutes a main consideration in a Jacquard harness taking into consideration the large number of components that must not interfere with each other while occupying the most reduced total area. 
     Further, in the closed position of the chucks 13, the jaws 13d of the jaws 13a taper outwardly with respect to the cylindrical rod 12b in a direction relative to the chamfered edge 14a, which contributes to the opening of the chucks 13 because the engagement of the chamfered edge 14a between the chucks 13 is facilitated. 
     In the open position of the chucks 13, such as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the bearing area of the jaws 13a against the cylindrical rod 12b of the male element 12 is essentially axial. The gripping stresses due to the semi-rigid nature of the chucks 13 are essentially radial, which indicates that the shuttle 14 does not tend to move in the axial direction along the cylindrical rod 12b. The shuttle 14 is thus closely held in position by the jaws 13a and is not driven by axial stresses in direction to the shoulder 12c. 
     Furthermore, in order to prevent that the shuttle 14 could become wedged between the jaws 13a and the back or flange of the prong 12a, the shuttle&#39;s length L is greater than the distance 1 between the external area of the jaws 13a and the back of the prong 12a, when an upper shoulder 12d of the element 12 rests against the upper portion of the female element 11, as illustrated in FIG. 4. 
     When the upper edge of the female element 11 abuts against the second ring-shaped shoulder 12d rising above the first 12c, the operator reverses his axial pull and tends to separate the elements 11 and 12 from each other, so that the shuttle 14, still gripped by the jaws 13a, moves downward along the cylindrical portion 12b. At a given point of the separation movement, the shuttle 14 comes to a standstill against the upper area of the prong 12a, such as shown in FIG. 5, which allows the jaws 13a to release the grip at the widest diameter portion of the prong 12a because of the fact that the height of said jaws is greater than the height of the chamfered edge 14a of the shuttle. 
     Such as shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the radial play between the cylindrical intermediate portion 12f of the male element 12 positioned between the two shoulders 12c and 12d and the ring-shaped opening 13c of the female element 11 is rather slight in order that the span between this cylindrical portion and the opening serve as axial guide for the male element 12 in the female element 11. This axial guide allows, first and foremost, the maintaining of a good alignment of the parts during the dynamic operation of the mechanism, thus ensuring of optimal geometries at the supports of the jaws and preventing an early wear and tear of the components. Furthermore, the same axial guide prevents, at the time of its movements, that the shuttle 14 be poorly aligned with the axis of the female element 11 with respect to the jaws 13a, whereas any defective alignment is susceptible to result in a wedging of the shuttle 14 and thus a blocking of the collar. 
     The continued movement to separate the two elements 11 and 12 causes their separation in the manner as illustrated in FIG. 2. 
     Thus, the uncoupling of these two elements from the collar does finally bring about an axial movement in the two opposite directions. It is about the same in the case of a coupling because the axial engagement of the two elements of the collar causes, first and foremost, the separation of the jaws 13a at the level of the prong 12a of the extremity and then the raising of the shuttle 14, such as shown in FIG. 6; the jaws will finally lock around it above the prong 12a, as illustrated in FIG. 3. 
     It is understood that the grip by the female element 11 of the collars may comprise only one or more than two chucks. It can be noted that, in all instances, the operation of the collar both for the coupling as well as for the separation is simplified when compared with that of the customary snaps; such a simplification allows an automatization for the simultaneous handling of all the collars 4 of the mechanism. 
     It must be further understood that the foregoing description was given only by way of example and that it does not limit at all the scope of the invention that would be respected ever if the described details of manufacture would be replaced by any others of similar nature. In particular, the shuttle 14 can be given a wide-base truncated shape turned to the side of the prong 12a so that, during the uncoupling operation, the gripping by the jaws of the shuttle brings the latter into the direction of the prong.