Patent GB-392224-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to machines for measuring dimensions, for example thicknesses, of pieces of material such as hides, skins, leather and the like
IPC: A43D29/00
Filed: 1931-11-18
Abstract: 392,224. Gauging-apparatus. TURNER TANNING MACHINERY CO., Portland, Maine, U.S.A.-(Assignees of Ballard, H. A. ; Beverly, Massachusetts, U.S.A.) Nov. 18, 1931, No. 31968. Convention date, Nov. 29, 1930. [Class 106 (ii).] Apparatus for measuring the thickness of hides comprises a work support, measuring means, and indicating means, wherein the operation of the latter is controlled by a single work-engaging device moved by contact with the leading and rear ends of the work whereby the operation of the indicating means is initiated and determined so that the measurement is restricted to intermediate parts of the work. The hide to be measured is fed between rollers 12, 40 along a table 2 to measuring rollers connected through lost motion devices to indicators 123, 144, 146. The thickness of the hide is taken only at parts of the best quality and thus along lines lying on either side the backbone line. The lower indicators 144, 146 move in one direction only and give the maximum and minimum thickness respectively, the upper indicator 123 giving the average thickness. A main shaft 26 driven from a belt pulley 28 drives the lower feed roller 12 through chain gear 22, 20 and also a shaft 238 through a two-speed chain gear. The bed roll 30 below the measuring wheels is fixed to the shaft 26. The measuring wheel 38 is mounted by means of a shaft 52 in a yoke member 50 and is adjustably secured longitudinally of the shaft. The wheels 34, 36 are similarly mounted in yoke members 58, 60. The yoke 50 is mounted on a shaft 70 having an eccentric portion 72 common to all the yoke members 50, 56, 58, 60. The yoke 50 is connected by a slotted link 74 to a pin 76 integral with a sleeve in one with a lever arm 82. The other measuring wheels are similarly connected to levers 86, 88, 90. Chains 84, 94 connected to the ends of levers 82, 88 are connected to the ends of a balanced lever 100 supported by a chain 102 wound on a spirally grooved shaft 108. Chains 92, 96 from the levers 86, 90 are connected to a balanced lever 104 supported by a chain 106 wound on a shaft 114. The chains 102, 106 extend from the shafts 108, 114 and are connected to a balanced lever 110 supported by a chain 112 wound around a shaft 120 which has secured to it a sleeve 122 provided with spiral grooves to receive a chain 126, one end being secured to it and the other to a weight 128 which keeps all the chains taut and balances the levers 82, 86, 88, 90. A pointer 121 mounted on the shaft 120 moves over a dial 123 indicating average thickness. The pair of wheels 34, 38 being connected to the lever 100, the maximum measurements are taken by one wheel operating close to the backbone line and by another operating at a greater distance. The pair of wheels concerned with the minimum measurements operate along similar lines. On the shaft 108 are two ratchet discs 148, 150 with teeth sloping in opposite directions. They are engaged by pawls 152, 156 on the same pivot 154, the tail ends 158, 160 of the pawls being connected by springs 162 normally holding the pawls clear of the discs. A cam 252 between the pawls is adapted to engage set screws 182, 184 to force the pawls into engagement with their discs. The cams are so controlled that during measurement the shafts 108, 114 move in one direction only, the pointer 140 registering maximum thickness, while the pointer 142 registers minimum thickness. The shafts 108, 114 are locked at a predetermined time at a definite distance from the ends of the piece being measured as the hides are classified according to the thickness of the areas of better quality which are away from the ends. The upper feed roll 40 is mounted on a yoke 44 to which is secured an arm 200 connected by an extensible link 202 to a lever 204. Pivoted to the lever 204 is a Ink 208 pivoted in turn to a trip lever 210 pivotally supported on a carrier 214 swinging about a pivot 216. The carrier is normally held against a stud 217 by a spring 218. At the lower end, the carrier is provided with a pin 220 adapted to be engaged by a shoulder 222 on the trip lever 210. A spring 221 holds the shoulder 222 against the pin 220. A tail piece 224 on the trip lever 210 engages a tail piece 226 on a lever 228 the other end of which normally engages a pawl member 232 and holds the pawl 230 from engagement with ratchet teeth 234. When a piece of work is inserted between rollers 40, 12, the roller 40 is lifted and through levers 200, link 202, lever 204, link 208 and trip lever causes lever 228 to be raised releasing the pawl to clutch the cam disc 236 to the shaft 238. The cam pieces on the disc are adjustable. At desired points of the revolution of the cam the link 248 is moved and the cam 252 and through link 256 also the cam 260 is rocked to allow the pawls 152, 156, 168, 170 to bring the indicators into play. When the hide has passed the roller 40 the latter drops and declutches the cam thus stopping the measuring operation at a certain distance from the end of the hide. The drive to the shaft 238 is through a two-speed chain gear, the wheels 294, 310 of which are loose on the shaft 296, but either may be clutched thereto by sliding a collar 306 to which is pivoted a key 298 which lies in a slot'in the shaft and has a large end adapted to engage a slot in the boss of either wheel. The roller 12 may be placed in the bearing 322 and the roller 40 reversed about the pivot 46, the plate 8 of the table 2 being also reversed to bring the slot over the roller 12. The machine is provided with means for setting the measuring mechanism with respect to the indicating means for various classes of work in which the ranges of thickness dimensions overlap each other. To this end, the yoke members 50, 56, 58, 60 are each mounted on a shaft having an eccentric portion 72, and by movement of a hand-lever 330 a pointer 332 may be adjusted over a scale 334 and the yoke members moved so that the initial height of the measuring rollers relatively to the table is adjusted.