Patent GB-1415439-A (GB)
Title: Device for winding weft thread on the spools of weft carriers  in travelling wave looms
IPC: D03D47/34
Filed: 1973-06-22
Abstract: 1415439 Winding spools on weft carriers TSENTRALNY NAUCHNO-ISSLEDOVATELSKY INSTITUT KHLOPCHATOBUMAZHNOI PROMYSHLENNOSTI 22 June 1973 29673/73 Heading D1J The invention relates to apparatus for winding thread on to spools of weft carriers in looms.  The spools 6, Fig. 1, are carried by an endless conveyor chain 2 following the path B, C, A, D, the path B extending over a shed of warp threads 4 in a loom. The conveyor chain passes around a dished plate 8, Fig. 3, shown as a circle of radius R in Fig. 1, that is driven by the loom and has teeth 104 that mesh with pins 105 of the conveyor 2. The plate 8 carries a plurality of rotatable cranked hollow thread guides 18 and whilst each spool 6 is, in turn, aligned with the rotational axis 16 of the thread guide 18 the spool 6 is wound with a length of weft thread. Each of the thread guides 18 is rotated by gearing carried by the plate 8 and meshing with a fixed cam 9. The full spools 6, each with an associated thread tensioner 21, leave the plate 8 at M, pass through the shed of warped threads 4 and return empty to the plate 8 at F. Each rotatable thread guide 18 on the plate 8 is associated with a weft end grip 11 and, according to the invention, each grip 11 trails on its associated rotatable thread guide 18 such that after a spool 6 has passed the point of divergence M and commences to follow the path B towards the shed 4, the trailing length of thread first enters the tension means 21, and as the guide 18 is carried from M to F in the direction E, said tensioned trailing thread end is swung into the trailing grip 11 and is held there.  The invention also includes means to fix the position of the thread guide 18 just before it reaches the point of divergence M. The arrangement is such that when a thread guide 18 is moving clockwise between the points M and F it is in a fixed setting, and the thread from it trails to its associated grip 11 at a tension determined by the tensioner 21. The thread is then cut between the tensioner 21 and the grip 11 by means 110. In one embodiment the gearing mounted on the plate 8 may comprise a gear segment 31, Fig. 2, pivotally mounted on the plate 8, one end of the segment 31 having a toothing and the other end having a roller 39 that rides over the fixed cam 9 during the rotation of the plate 8 and thus causes reciprocal-rotary motion of the gear segment. The toothed end of the gear segment 31 interacts with a gear train 44, 32, 33, 34, 35, Fig. 3, to drive the hollow tube 18, the interaction of the gear segment 31 with the gear train being effected through a mechanism which prevents rotation of the hollow tube 18 in the direction opposite to the direction of winding of the weft thread on the spool 6 of the weft carrier. The mechanism adapted to prevent rotation of the tube 18 in the wrong direction may comprise two clutch members 42, 43, Fig. 3, which are screw-forced against one another to lock the gear 44 to its shaft whilst the gear segment 31 is rotating the winding spindle 18 in the correct winding direction, but are moved apart so as to free the gear 44 from its shaft whilst the gear segment 31 would otherwise rotate the winding spindle 18 in the wrong direction. An alternative embodiment for preventing the winding shaft 18 from rotating in the wrong direction is illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5. In this embodiment the gear segment 31 is associated with a differential gearing comprisling a ring gear 64, a pinion carrier 65 one end of which carries the pinion 68, and the other end a gear 69 meshing with the gear segment 31, a sun gear 66 with outer and inner toothings, and a fixed gear 67 secured under the fixed cam 9 and meshing through an idle gear 72 with the outer toothing 70 of the sun gear 66, the inner toothing 71 of the latter being engaged through the pinion 68 with the ring gear 64, the ring gear 64 being mounted on a shaft 75 of the gear 73 of a gear train to the winding spindle 18, the pinion carrier 65 and the sun gear 66 being rotatably mounted on the same shaft 75. With the rotation of the plate 8, the sun gear 66 is set in uniform and continuous rotation and rolls around the fixed gear 67 through the idle gear 72. To begin winding, the segment 31 starts turning and rotates the gear 69 with the pinion carrier 65 the end of which carries the pinion 68. The latter rolls over the inner toothing of the sun gear 66, thus causing addition of speeds, i.e., rotation of the sun gears 66 and the pinions 68 in the same direction. The pinion drives the ring gear 64 which through the shaft 75 transmits rotation to the gear 73 and 74, and thus to the hollow tube 16. After the hollow tube 16 with the thread guide has been locked, the segment 31 starts swivelling in the reverse direction and causes the pinion 68 to roll over the inner toothing 71 of the sun gear in the direction opposite to that of rotation of the sun gear 66, i.e., their speeds are subtracted, and no rotation is transmitted to the ring gear 64 and, accordingly, to the hollow tube 16. The means for locking the hollow thread guide 18 against rotation comprises a disc 54, Figs. 2 and 4, on the shaft of the tube 18. A three-arm lever 56, Figs. 2 and 4, is pivotally mounted on the rotary plate 8, this arm carrying a roller 59 that can cooperate with a recess 55 in the disc 54 when the tube 18 is to be held against rotary motion. After the thread has been cut a spring-loaded lever (78) Fig. 10 (not shown) acts on the thread extending between the tube 18 and the grip 11 to pull the trailing end of the thread through the grip 11 and so reduce the trailing length extending therefrom.