Patent GB-191305556-A (GB)
Title: Automatic Shuttle-changing Mechanism for Multi-colour Looms.
Inventor: POINTU JEAN
IPC: D03D45/34
Filed: 1913-03-05
Granted: 1914-01-22
Abstract: 5556. Pointu, J. March 5, 1912, [Convention date]. Shuttle-changing mechanism; shuttles; swells.- In looms for multi-colour weaving, the cards 7, Fig. 2, that operate the needles 5 and hooks 6 for controlling ordinary rotary or drop boxes A, Fig. 1, and thereby bringing into action the required shuttles, also control the shuttle-changing mechanism by means of devices 1, 9, Figs. 1 and 2, actuated, however, by a card behind that which is simultaneously acting on the needles 5. The shuttle. changing mechanism is thus thrown into action at least two complete to-and-fro movements of the lay before the spent shuttle is picked. The various steps of the shuttle-changing operation, comprising preliminary selection and release of a shuttle of the correct character from the magazine, the subsequent insertion thereof into the empty compartment A<1>, Fig. 24, of a rotary changing-box, and the rotation of this box to bring the fresh shuttle into action, may thus be distributed over several movements of the lay. The drop-boxes are provided with contactplates in electric connexion with the pivoted plates 1, Figs. 1 and 2, of a circuit-breaker through electromagnets 29, a battery B, and a key K, while spring-controlled metallic swells 19, Fig. 5, on the drop-boxes are connected to corresponding contacts 13, Figs. 1 and 2. The plates 1 are normally raised from the cards 7 and out of contact with the contact 13, but are allowed to fall periodically, and the button 8 on the plate 1 corresponding to the shuttle that will, two picks later, come into action enters a hole in its card 7. This plate is thus allowed to contact with the corresponding contact 13, and, if the shuttle referred to (which may be of the type described in Specification 4649/10) is substantially exhausted, it closes an electric circuit whereby a particular one of the electro-magnets 29 is energized. By special mechanism, one of a series of plates 37, Fig. 24, provided with slots engaging a pin on an arm 40, is raised into the path of an angle-block 59 on the lay 60. At the first backward movement of the lay, the arm 40 is rocked and moves the magazine to a position where the compartment 3 containing shuttles carrying weft of the same colour as that in the spent shuttle is placed above an opening in a plate 70. The raised plate 37 causes notched blades 50, 51 pivoted to an arm 53 on a shaft 54 to be raised into the path of a lever 62, which is oscillated from the crank-shaft but in a contrary direction to the lay. The arm 53 and another arm fix(d on the shaft 54 are moved to the right, and move a slide 76 into the position shown in Fig. 24. By special mechanism, slides 78 provided with ledges 80, 79 are moved into the position shown, whereby a shuttle is released from the magazine and falls in front of a plate 84 controlled by a spring 90 and normally engaged by triggers 82 on the slide 76. On the subsequent forward movement of the lay, a previously-raised finger 124 engages the swell of the compartment C' of the rotary changing-box, thereby releasing the spent shuttle therefrom, the compartment B<1> also containing a spent shuttle. The arms 53 and slide 76 are then moved to the left, the trigger 82 engaging a fixed stop, whereby they are lowered, thus releasing the plate 84, which is moved rapidly to the left by the compressed spring 90 and inserts the fresh shuttle into the compartment D' of the rotary charging-box. During succeeding movements of the lay, the slide 76 is returned to the right and the spring 90 is re-charged. Further, the rotary box is turned in an anti-clockwise direction, whereby the compartment D'containing the fresh shuttle is moved into the active position previously occupied by the compartment A<1>, so that the fresh shuttle may be picked across the lay. The compartment A' containing the spent shuttle is, after another shuttle-changing operation, moved into the lowest position, where the shuttle is released therefrom. Each compartment of the magazine is provided with a weft-end holding piece of U-shape. Instead of electrical devices for bringing the shuttle-changing mechanism into action, mechanical devices only may be employed, the shuttle used being of the type wherein a button projects therefrom when the weft is nearly exhausted.