Weft selection and retention mechanism for shuttleless looms

A loom operating without a shuttle is provided with a weft selection mechanism and a weft retention mechanism with the former operating to select a weft thread and pass it through the sheds of the loom while the latter mechanism retains and holds the weft thread during loom operation. The weft selection mechanism includes a plurality of pivotable weft selector arms having a weft thread engaged at a first end thereof and an actuating mechanism oprating to drive a second end of the selector arms. A plurality of selector arms is provided with the first end of each of the arms passing through a common point during pivotal movement of the arms. The arms are pivotally mounted intermediate their first and second ends and a selector device is provided to selectively engage the second end of a particular arm with the actuating mechanism driving the arm through pivotal motion, thereby to effect selection of a weft thread. The retention mechanism includes a suction nozzle which engages a selected weft thread and holds the thread by operation of suction force with gripping threads actuated by a lever causing the weft threads to become engaged in the nozzle with the nozzle holding the weft threads while the gripping threads are released therefrom to engage other weft threads which are to be brought into nozzle engagement. The suction nozzle formed as part of the weft thread retention mechanism is transversely movable across the apparatus during operation thereof.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates generally to improvements in looms and more 
particularly, the invention is related to mechanisms for selection and 
retention of weft threads in looms operating without a shuttle. By 
utilization of the mechanisms which constitute the improvements of the 
present invention, advantageous loom operation may be attained without 
detrimentally affecting the correct action of other elements of the loom. 
It is known that one of the more significant advantages which looms 
operating without a shuttle have over other existing classic looms is that 
of being capable of selecting in each pick the weft which is to be used. 
Since the latter must always pass discontinuously, i.e., each time that 
the driver passes the weft, a cut must be made in order for it to transmit 
the end of the weft. Consequently, if a weft selector is available, it may 
be utilized to supply threads in accordance with a predetermined program 
consistent with preestablished needs relating both to color and type. 
The present invention is aimed at providing improvements in the means for 
selecting and retaining weft threads whereby there may be achieved 
advantageous functional characteristics over presently known devices. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Briefly, the present invention may be described as including apparatus for 
selecting and retaining weft threads in a loom operating without a 
shuttle. The weft selection apparatus comprises a plurality of weft 
selector arms, each having a first end in engagement with a weft thread 
and a second end, means pivotally mounting each of said arms at a point 
intermediate said first and second ends, with said plurality of arms 
arranged to have said first end of each arm pass through a common point 
during pivotal movement about said intermediate point, an actuating 
mechanism adapted to be selectively brought into engagement with said 
second end of each of said weft selector arms to drive said arms through 
pivotal motion about said intermediate point, and selector means for 
selectively individually engaging each of said arms with said actuating 
mechanism for driving engagement therewith, with pivotal motion of said 
arms as a result of selective engagement with said actuating mechanism 
operating to effect selection of a weft thread in engagement with said 
first end of said selected arm. 
The selected weft thread may then be extracted and positioned by a driver 
of the apparatus which operates to incorporate the selected weft thread as 
the weft of the fabric to be manufactured. For this purpose, articulation 
of all of the arms is made dependent upon the requirement that their axis 
adopt the form of an arm having a certain curvature so that, as previously 
mentioned, the free end of each arm will always converge at a common 
point. 
After the driver passes the selected weft thread through the sheds of the 
loom, the thread is engaged and retained by the weft retention mechanism 
which comprises means defining a suction orifice within which the weft 
threads are held by suction force supplied thereto. The apparatus includes 
means mounting said retention mechanism for transverse movement relative 
to the apparatus and means for providing gripping threads. Lever means are 
provided for actuating the gripping threads and after the driver means 
have operated to pass the weft threads through the shed of the loom, the 
end of the weft thread is brought into engagement with the suction orifice 
and the gripping threads are actuated by the lever means to engage and 
hold the weft thread ends against the suction orifice. After the weft 
threads have been placed in position against the suction orifice, they are 
retained therein by the action of suction and by the gripping threads. 
After the gripping threads have been released from engagement with the 
weft thread ends for subsequent engagement with other weft threads to be 
placed against the suction orifice, the original weft threads are retained 
in position on the suction orifice until loom operation has effected 
proper engagement of the weft threads between the warp threads of the loom 
shed. 
The weft selection mechanism may further comprise a pawl pivotally mounted 
upon the second end of each of the weft selector arms with the selector 
means comprising means for selectively pivoting the pawl into and out of 
position for engagement with the actuating mechanism. The actuating 
mechanism may comprise a reciprocating slide mechanism reciprocally 
movable between a first and a second position with ratchet means being 
provided on the slide mechanism and adapted to engage the pawl when the 
selector means pivots the pawl into position for engagement with the 
actuating mechanism. 
The actuating mechanism may further include an eccentric driving mechanism 
and connecting rod means interconnected between the slide mechanism and 
the eccentric mechanism to transmit a driving force to the slide mechanism 
from the eccentric driving mechanism, with said eccentric driving 
mechanism being selectively adjustable to control the action of the weft 
selector arms. 
The selector means may comprise solenoids or electromagnets or other 
mechanical or electromechanical means suitably capable of performing the 
function of selectively pivoting the pawl attached to the selector arm 
which is to be actuated. 
With regard to the weft retention mechanism, the basic concept involves 
achievement of the retention of the weft ends on a side or edge opposite 
that the side from which the threads are propelled, this being achieved by 
incorporating in the loom the suction nozzle accompanied by means for 
placing and holding the weft ends in the nozzle. 
Each weft end is positioned and held in the suction nozzle immediately 
after it is driven through the loom shed thus avoiding retrogression of 
the weft after it is released by the driver before occurence of the action 
of the batten of the loom. The suction nozzle continues to retain the weft 
together with other weft threads until additional other wefts have been 
driven and retained whereby placement of the weft in the fabric enables 
achievement of its retention without the need of action by the nozzle. 
This mode of retention of the weft end without shed advance gives rise to 
many advantages relating to simplicity and efficiency of operation. 
Furthermore, added to these advantages are those derived from the fact 
that there does not occur interference with the action of the machine or 
prevention of the occasional backward movement of the operative loom to 
recover broken wefts. Additionally, finding of lost picks, degreasing or 
other adjustments necessary in other conventional modes of weft retention 
are eliminated. 
The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are 
pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part 
of this specification. For better understanding of the invention, its 
operating advantages, and specific objects attained by its use, reference 
should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which 
there is illustrated and described preferred embodiments of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to 
refer to similar parts througout the various figures thereof, and 
particularly, FIGS. 1, 2 and 7, the weft selection mechanism of the 
invention is shown adapted for use with looms without a shuttle and 
comprising a plurality of pivotable weft selector arms 4. Each of the weft 
selector arms 4 is pivoted about a point 4a located intermediate a first 
end 40 and a second end 42 of the selector arm 4. The first end 40 of the 
selector arm 4 is in engagement with a weft thread shown in dotted form 
and as seen in FIG. 2, when the selector arm 4 is displaced from the 
position shown in solid line form to the position shown in dotted form, 
the arm thus moved will select the weft thread attached thereto by moving 
the thread to the dotted position in order to displace the thread for a 
phase shifted operation with relation to other threads thereby enabling 
the selected weft thread to be gripped easily and precisely. 
Referring now to FIG. 7, it will be seen that when a weft thread B is 
selected by pivotal movement of the selector arm 4 from its solid line 
position to its dotted line position, the weft thread will be engaged by a 
weft inserter needle D which grips the end of the weft thread and delivers 
the weft for transfer to a fabric center and to a needle 21 which carries 
the weft to one side of a fabric H. The threads 18 constitute the warp of 
the loom and as the driver D passes the selected weft thread B through the 
sheds of the warp, the weft end is engaged by the needle 21 and passed to 
the opposite side, which is the right hand side as viewed in FIG. 7, of 
the loom shed where the thread may then be engaged by the weft retention 
mechanism. 
The weft retention mechanism and its operation will be described more fully 
hereinafter but for the purposes of the present disclosure, it should be 
noted that the loom mechanism includes a sley 13 including a comb 13a 
operating in a conventional manner. 
The warp threads 18 are conventionally arranged to be driven by the weave 
mechanism of the loom, and as the sheds thereof are intermittently 
separated, the weft threads B are passed therebetween for engagement by 
the driver 21 which brings the weft ends into engagement with the weft 
retention mechanism in a manner to be more fully described hereinafter. 
The operation of the weft selection mechanism whereby a particular weft 
thread is selected by pivotal movement of the arm 4 involves a process 
wherein one of a plurality of the arms 4 must be selected and driven in a 
manner such that the thread attached to the first end 40 of the selected 
arm is phase shifted for engagement by the driver D for movement through 
the loom shed. The weft selection mechanism includes a slide 1 which is 
caused to be reciprocally moved along guide bars 2. The slide 1 includes a 
ratchet means 7 adapted to drivingly engage a pawl 5 which is pivotally 
attached to the second end 42 of the weft selector arm 4. The slide 1 is 
reciprocally moved along the guide bars 2 by operation of a rocker arm or 
lever 3 which is driven in a manner depicted in FIG. 3. As the slide 1 
reciprocally moves along the guide bars 2, the claw or ratchet 7 may or 
may not engage the end 5a of a pawl 5 of a particular weft selector arm 4 
depending upon the operating condition of selector means 6 which operate 
to pivot the pawl 5 about a point 44 at which the pawl is pivotally 
mounted to the second end 42 of the selector arm 4. 
The weft selection mechanism includes a plurality of selector arms 4 each 
having a pawl 5 pivotally mounted thereon. When a particular pawl is to be 
selected, the selector means 6 is energized thereby causing pivotal 
movement of a pawl 5 in a clockwise direction about the point 44. This 
movement will bring the nose 5a of the pawl 5 beneath the ratchet or claw 
7 and as the slide 1 moves downwardly, as viewed in FIG. 2, the ratchet 7 
will engage the pawl nose 5a thereby causing pivotal rotation of the arm 4 
about the pivot mounting 4a. 
The selector means 6 may comprise a solenoid or other electromagnetic means 
which may be selectively energized to selectively pivot a pawl 5 mounted 
upon a particular arm 4 whose selection is desired. If an electromagnet 6 
is not actuated to cause a pawl 5 to become engaged with the claw or 
ratchet 7, the sliding movement of the slide 1 will not affect pivotting 
of an arm 4. When a weft thread is to be selected, the electromagnet 6 is 
appropriately energized and, as a result, the appropriate pawl 5 will be 
actuated causing engagement of the selected arm 4 with the actuating 
mechanism of the assembly. The weft selection mechanism is mounted upon a 
support 8 and the actuating mechanism including the slide 1 is driven by a 
device as best seen in FIG. 3 which includes an auxiliary shaft 9 arranged 
to be driven through a set of gears 9a and 10a having a 1 : 1 gear ratio 
by a cam shaft 10. The auxiliary shaft 9 has mounted thereon a cam 11 
engaged by a cam follower 3a mounted upon an end of the rocker arm 3. The 
shaft 10 is a main driving shaft of the apparatus and imparts a driving 
force to the shaft 9 through the gears 10a and 9a whereupon rotation of 
the shaft 9 operates through engagement of the cam 11 and the cam follower 
3a to actuate the rocker arm 3 thereby imparting thereto a reciprocating 
motion. This reciprocating motion of the arm 3 is imparted to the slide 
mechanism 1 which moves in a reciprocating manner continuously and effects 
driving of a selector arm 4 when a pawl 5a is appropriately brought into 
engaging position in the manner previously described. 
As previously mentioned, after the selected weft thread B is engaged by the 
driver D and passed through the warp threads 18, it is engaged by the 
needle 21 and brought into engagement with the weft retention mechanism. 
The weft retention mechanism is best shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The needle 
21, as seen in FIG. 6, engages the selected weft thread and draws it into 
engagement with a suction nozzle 12 mounted to move together with the 
batten 13 of the loom. The mounting device for the weft retention 
mechanism involves an assembly which consists of a holding clamp 14 having 
the suction nozzle 12 mounted thereon, a supporting rod 15 and a sector 16 
bearing upon a shaft 17 of the batten 13. 
By virtue of the special mounting arrangement of the invention, there is 
permitted manual control of the positioning of the nozzle 12 in a 
transverse direction, thereby permitting it to be placed adjacent the edge 
of a fabric which is to be manufactured without regard or without 
limitation as to the width of the fabric. The nozzle 12, which moves 
together with the batten 13, is mounted for cooperative relationship with 
gripping threads C which are actuated by a lever 19 included in a mounting 
similar to the mounting of the nozzle 12. However, the lever 19 is 
connected by a sleeve with a cam of the drive shaft 10 which produces an 
alternating vertical movement. 
As a weft thread B is gripped by the needle 21 and drawn toward the nozzle 
12, the lever 19 is raised and in that position it holds the gripping 
threads C away from the nozzle 12 so that the driver or needle 21 carrying 
the weft end may pass between the gripping threads C through the warp 
threads 18 and be brought into engagement with the nozzle 12. After this 
action has been effected, the lever 19 is moved downwardly thereby moving 
with it the gripping threads C which are brought against the nozzle 12. As 
a result, the weft end which has been delivered to the nozzle 12 by the 
driver or needle 21 is caught and held against the nozzle 12 by the 
gripping threads C and is caused to penetrate thereinto so that it may be 
retained by the suction force created therein acting together with the 
force supplied by the threads C. With this operation having been 
completed, the threads C are raised by the lever 19 and proceed to engage 
a next weft thread which is to be brought into engagement with the nozzle 
12 by the needle 21. The weft thread which has been previously engaged in 
the suction nozzle 12 will be retained there despite the fact that the 
gripping threads C have been disengaged therefrom by operation of the 
lever 19. 
The warp threads 18 are conventionally arranged to be driven by the weave 
mechanism of the loom, and as the sheds thereof are intermittently 
separated, the weft threads B which are selected are passed between the 
warp threads 18 for engagement by the needle 21 which brings the weft ends 
under the gripping threads C and into engagement with the nozzle 12. After 
this operation has been completed, and the lever 19 is raised with the 
previously selected weft end being held in engagement within the nozzle 
12, subsequent movement of the batten 13 and operation of the warp threads 
18 by the conventional loom mechanism brings the apparatus into position 
for selection and retention of another weft thread. 
Thus, it will be seen that in the general overall operation of the device, 
weft threads are first delivered for retention by the nozzle 12 of the 
weft retention mechanism. With the weft threads in place for retention by 
the nozzle 12, the weft selector mechanism including the selector arms 4 
may be operated in order to select the individual weft threads during 
operation of the apparatus and the comb 13a is activated in order to form 
the fabric. 
The mechanism which operates the lever 19 is depicted in FIG. 5 and as 
shown therein, the raising and lowering of the eye of the lever 19 is 
effected by an eccentric cam 50 which is engaged by a cam follower 52. A 
rocker arm 54 is pivoted about a pivot point 56 and by rotation of the cam 
50, the rocker arm 54 pivots about the point 56 to raise and lower the 
lever 19. 
The cam 50 is attached to the shaft 10 which is the main driving shaft of 
the apparatus. The overall driving mechanism for the shaft 10, as shown in 
FIG. 4, includes a main motor 60 and a pulley drive 62 which operates 
through appropriate gearing to drive the various elements of the apparatus 
which are interconnected to operate in a given relationship relative to 
each other. The pulley 62 drives a second pulley 64 through belts 66 with 
a shaft 68 being driven by rotation of the pulley 64. A pair of gears 70 
and 72 operate to impart driving motion of the shaft 68 to the main shaft 
10. The batten 13 of the loom is arranged for driving engagement with cams 
74 which operate to actuate a sley interlocked follower 76 for actuation 
of the basic loom mechanism. 
As will be seen, the shaft 9 depicted in FIG. 3 is also shown in FIG. 4 and 
the means whereby the rocker 3 and the arm 5 are actuated will be clear 
from a comparison of these figures. Furthermore, it will be seen that the 
weft selector mechanism including the selector arms 4 operates in 
conjunction with the weft retention mechanism shown in FIG. 5. Referring 
to the mechanism depicted in FIG. 5, it will be seen that the weft threads 
are indicated as the threads B and that they extend into the batten 13. 
The warp yarns 18 driven by the weave mechanism of the loom are 
illustrated in FIG. 5 and by reference to FIG. 7, it will be seen that as 
the arm 4 selects a weft thread, it is brought between the warp threads 18 
into engagement with the nozzle 12 shown in FIG. 5 by the driver or needle 
21. 
The motion of the batten 13 is a conventional motion similar to that which 
is effected in all looms. That is, a forward and rearward reciprocating 
motion is involved. The nozzle or tube 12 has formed at the top thereof a 
serrated configuration where the weft end is trapped when the retaining 
yarns C strung in the eye of the lever 19 are lowered. The nozzle assembly 
is fixed directly to a positioning clamp 14 wherein a stud 15 attached to 
a block of the batten 13 is projected. The opposite end of the nozzle or 
tube 12 is formed in the shape of an ellbow and is fixed to a clamp 
projecting from the segment 16 resting upon the shaft 17. The segment 16 
slides over the shaft 17 by virtue of the reciprocating motion of the 
batten 13. The driver 21 is essentially the lance of the loom and operates 
as a weft holder lance until the weft is brought into engagement with the 
nozzle 12 whereby the weft is retained by the yarns C in the manner 
previously discussed. 
Reciprocation of the selector arms 4 may be determined by a program (not 
shown) which appropriately actuates the electromagnets or selection means 
6 which in turn, through the slider 1 and the pawl 5 actuate the 
respective arms which, consequently, reciprocate so that the ends thereof 
having the weft threads engaged therein, pass through a common point 
during the arching movement of the arms 4. 
The feed mechanism for the weft threads B is shown in FIG. 7 as including a 
weft coreholder creel 80 from which weft threads are brought to a weft 
stop motion mechanism 82 and from there through a weft compensator 84. The 
solenoids 6 include wiring leads 6a through which the solenoids may be 
attached to an appropriate programming device in order to energize in a 
selected fashion individual solenoids so that individual pawls 5 may be 
actuated to cause engagement with the slide 1 thereby effecting 
appropriate selective pivotal motion of an arm 4. 
It is to be understood that the suction effect which is created by the 
nozzle 12 serves to retain leftover ends of the threads so that the 
assembly may operate appropriately without the threads C being held in 
constant engagement with the nozzle in order to achieve proper functioning 
with respect to the actual retention of the weft end of the threads. 
The selvage of the fabric which is to be formed will, accordingly, involve 
loosely hanging weft ends inasmuch as the gripping threads C are utilized 
merely to hold the weft ends against the nozzle 12. The gripping threads C 
are not formed as a shed in the same manner as the warp threads 18 and 
thus, as the fabric moves from the loom, loosely hanging weft ends will be 
produced inasmuch as the weft threads are not interwoven with the gripping 
threads. 
It will be appreciated from the foregoing that the invention may, in 
essence, be applied in other forms of apparatus which differ only in 
detail from the apparatus which is indicated herein for exemplary 
purposes. The mechanisms of selection and retention may therefore by 
manufactured with the most adequate means in materials and with the most 
suitable accessories all of which may fall within the spirit and scope of 
the invention. 
While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described 
in detail to illustrate the application of the inventive principles, it 
will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without 
departing from such principles.