Weft control device

An improved weft control device for shuttleless looms in which weft is drawn between a pair of friction plates mounted on individual post elements in a manner whereby their free ends are disposed in contiguous relation. The device provides a control lever fixed to the lower end of each post element which are operatively connected one to the other. One of the control levers is of greater length than the other and defines an indicating arm that is disposed in operative association with a band of indicating indicia provided on a support member for the post elements. By manually moving the indicating arm in one direction or the other to a pre-selected graduation of the indicating indicia, the post elements will rotate simultaneously and in opposite directions and the force with which one friction plate engages the other can be increased or decreased as desired.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The invention relates to shuttleless looms wherein weft yarn is drawn from 
a stationary source and is inserted into sheds of warp threads by opposed 
carrier members that are attached to the free end of flexible tapes which 
are alternately wrapped about and extended from oscillating tape wheels 
located at each side of the loom. The timed sequence with the weaving 
cycle the weft yarn is acted upon by a presenting member which locates the 
weft in a position for reception by a so-called inserting carrier which 
carries said weft into the shed and presents it to a so-called extending 
carrier the draws the weft through the remainder of the shed to complete a 
single pick. 
In particular the invention pertains to an improved weft yarn tensioning 
device of the friction plate type whereby the resistance the plates apply 
to the weft yarn being drawn therebetween can be quickly and easily varied 
to meet the tensioning requirements of any particular count of weft. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
Shuttleless looms to which the present invention is applicable can be of 
the type in which weft is supplied from one or more sources or which may 
employ either the Gabler or Dewas system of weft insertion. In such looms, 
a weft presenting member is actuated in timed sequence with the weaving 
cycle so as to locate said weft in a position where it will be received 
into and taken by the inserting carrier into a shed for presentation to 
the weft extending carrier. 
Weft yarn tensioning devices of the spring biased friction plate type are 
well known to those conversant in the weaving art, and for a detailed 
showing and description of this type of device, attention is directed to 
U.S. Pat Nos. 3,280,853 and 3,561,498. 
Although these weft yarn tensioning devices have satisfactorily performed 
their intended function for many years, they have been considered quite 
troublesome when attempting to establish a uniform tension on a plurality 
of looms using the same type of weft. Additionally, it has been considered 
particularly troublesome and time consuming when attempting to reposition 
the friction plates so as to vary the tension being applied to the weft 
passing therebetween or to re-locate said friction plates to 
satisfactorily accommodate a change in weft yarn to one of a different 
count. 
The problems described above of establishing uniform weft tension on 
several looms and of selectively varying the tension being applied to the 
weft yarn can be attributed to the fact that the friction plates are 
carried by post elements individual thereto that are independently mounted 
in spaced relation on a common support bracket. To reposition the friction 
plates so that they engage one another with greater or less biasing force 
requires independent adjustment of each of the post elements. The post 
elements must first be loosened and than slightly rotated in one direction 
or the other, depending on the amount of biasing force desired, and then 
retightened. It is quite obvious that with this means of varying and 
controlling the tension of weft yarn it would be very difficult to obtain 
a uniform tension on a plurality of looms utilizing the same weft and 
necessitates an excessive amount of loom down time to vary and obtain the 
most desirable amount of tension for a particular count of weft. The weft 
control device of the present invention has overcome the problems 
described above by providing a control means for said device which enables 
the post elements for each friction plate to be simultaneously rotated to 
anyone of a plurality of pre-determined positions which is effective in a 
minimum amount of time of increasing or decreasing the amount of biasing 
force produced by said friction plates as desired. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The weft control device according to the invention is of the spring biased 
friction plate type in which said plates are carried on separate post 
elements individual thereto that are mounted on a common support bracket. 
A control lever is attached to the lower end of each post element and they 
are operatively connected one to the other. One of the control levers is 
of greater length and its outer end defines an indicating arm that is 
disposed in operative association with an arcuated band of indicating 
indicia on the forward end of the support bracket. By selectively moving 
the indicating arm to any desired position along the length of the band of 
indicating indicia, the post elements by means of their respective control 
levers are caused to rotate simultaneously and in opposite directions and 
are effective, depending on the direction of movement of said indicating 
arm, in increasing or decreasing the biasing force of the friction plates 
as desired. A locking means associated with the indicating arm provides a 
means for fixing the position of the latter in a selected position and for 
maintaining the friction plates in the position effected by the rotative 
movement of the post elements. It is a general object of the invention to 
provide a weft tension control device for shuttleless looms which can be 
quickly and easily regulated to obtain the desired amount of tension to 
which the weft yarn is to be subjected. 
A further object is to provide a weft tension control device for a 
shuttleless loom wherein the desired amount of tension on the weft yarn 
can be selectively obtained and the same selections made on a plurality of 
such looms utilizing the same type of weft yarn. 
Another object is to provide an improved weft control device of simplified 
construction, having a minimum number of parts which are relatively 
inexpensive to manufacture and with long life expectancy. 
These and other objects of the invention will become more fully apparent by 
reference to the appended claims and as the following detailed description 
proceeds in reference to the figures of drawing wherein:

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Now referring to the figures of drawing enough of a shuttleless loom is 
shown in FIG. 1 to serve as a basis for a detailed description of the 
invention applied thereto. 
In FIG. 1 the forward right hand end of a shuttleless loom is shown and 
among the various parts thereof there is shown portions of the framework 
which include the right hand loomside 10, front girt 12 and breast beam 
14. 
The well known weft control housing identified by numeral 16 is mounted in 
a conventional manner on the forward and upper surface of the loom as at 
18. The loom's right hand tape wheel housing is shown at 20 and is carried 
by a conventional support bracket 22 that is attached to the outer side of 
the loomside 10. The usual tape guide operatively associated with the tape 
wheel housing 20 is identified by numeral 24. 
The weft control device according to the invention is identified generally 
in FIGS. 1-4 by numeral 26 and includes a mounting plate 28 that attaches 
to the loom by any suitable means not shown. As shown in FIG. 2 one end of 
this mounting plate 28 has a laterally extending support plate 30 fixed 
thereon which serves to support the various elements comprising the 
invention now to be described. 
The support plate 30 has a pair of vertically extending post elements 
mounted in spaced relation thereon, with the portions extending upwardly 
from said support plate having a generally square cross-sectional 
confirugation, that are identified by numerals 32 and 34 respectively. The 
lower portion of each post element 32 and 34 define axially aligned 
gudgeons 36 and 38 respectively which extend through and below mounting 
holes (not shown) provided in said support plate 30. These gudgeons 36 and 
38 have cooperating control levers assembled thereon and will be more 
fully described hereinafter. 
As shown in FIG. 5, each of the post elements is provided with a pair of 
tapped holes 40 which are disposed in spaced and aligned relation. These 
tapped holes 40 serve as a means of attaching a spring biased friction 
plate to each post element 32 and 34 that are identified by numerals 42 
and 44 respectively by means of anchor plates 46 and 48 respectively. The 
anchor plates are provided with openings (not shown) which are aligned 
with the topped holes 40 in the post elements and by means of screws 50 
the anchor plates 46 and 48 are fixed to the post elements individual 
thereto in a manner whereby one end of the associated spring biased 
friction plate is firmly held therebetween. 
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the post elements 32 and 34 are angularly 
disposed so that the free ends of the spring biased friction plates 
mounted thereon will be in contact with one another and engage a weft yarn 
52 being drawn therebetween. 
The weft yarn is drawn from a source 54 (FIG. 1) and maintained in a 
pathway located centrally of the post elements 32 and 34 by being caused 
to pass through a flanged guide bushing 56 mounted on an L-shaped bracket 
58 which is fixed by any suitable means not shown to the upper surface of 
the support plate 30. 
The weft yarn is drawn between the spring biased friction plates in the 
direction of the indicating arrow 60 (FIGS. 2 and 3) and after leaving 
said plates it passes through a plurality of conventional guide eyelets 62 
that are mounted in spaced and aligned relation on the mounting plate 28. 
This mounting plate also has a support bracket 64 fixed thereon as at 66 
in FIG. 2 and serves to support a well known weft sensing device 68 
between one pair of guide eyelets 62 and a spring loaded draw back arm 70 
between the adjacent guide eyelets 62. As is well known, the draw back arm 
70 serves to prevent any possible slack in the weft yarn 52. 
Referring now to FIG. 5, the gudgeon 36 forming the lower end of the post 
element 32 has a control lever 72 fixed thereon by means of a collar 74 
having a locking set screw 76. The end of this control lever 72 most 
remote from the gudgeon 36 is provided with an integrally formed depending 
tooth 78 which serves as a means for selectively rotating the post element 
32 in a manner yet to be described. 
The gudgeon 38 forming the lower end of the post element 34 has a control 
lever generally indicated by numberal 80 which intermediate its ends is 
fixed thereon by means of a collar 82 having a locking set screw 84 (FIG. 
3). This control lever 80 has one end 86 thereof that is provided with an 
elongated opening 88 within which the depending tooth 78 of the control 
lever 72 is disposed thereby operatively connecting one control lever to 
the other. 
The opposite end of the control lever 80 defines an indicating arm that is 
depicted by numeral 90 and is of greater length than end 86. This 
indicating arm protrudes beyond the end of the support plate 30 (FIGS. 2 
and 4) and is provided thereon with an indicator 92 that is disposed in 
operative association with an arcuated band of indicating indicia 94 
formed on the end of said support plate 30. 
Immediately adjacent to the band of indicating indicia 94, the support 
plate 30 is provided with an arcuated slot 96. In alignment with the 
arcuated slot 96, the indicating arm 90 has a bolt 98 assembled therein 
with its threaded portion extending upwardly through said arcuated slot 
and provides a means whereby said indicating arm can be selectively moved 
within the limits thereof. A washer 100 and wing nut 102 assembled on the 
threaded portion of the bolt 98 provide a means whereby the indicating arm 
90 can be locked in any desired position within the limits of the arcuated 
slot 96. 
Movement of the indicating arm in one direction or the other to align the 
indicator 92 with a desired graduation on the band of indicating indicia 
94 will cause the post elements 32 and 34 to turn in opposite directions 
and the biasing force which the friction plates, provide one against the 
other can be decreased or increased as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 
respectively. It is obvious from the detailed description that the amount 
of tension to which weft yarn is subjected can be quickly and easily 
varied as desired and a uniform tension is easily obtainable on a 
plurality of looms utilizing the same kind and count of weft yarn. 
Although the present invention has been described in connection with a 
preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that modifications and 
variations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope 
of the invention as those skilled in the art will readily understand. Such 
modifications and variations are considered to be within the purview and 
scope of the invention and the appended claims.