Patent GB-555860-A (GB)
Title: Electro-pneumatic loom
IPC: D03D51/00
Filed: 1942-05-20
Abstract: 555,860. Looms. MASCARENHAS, E. G. May 20, 1942, No. 6868. [Classes 142 (i) and 142 (iii)] A loom having a fixed lay 8, including a reed 13 which plays no part in the beating-up operation, is provided with a comb 81 operating through the warp adjacent the fell of the cloth and with oscillating fingers 66 for transferring the weft pick from the region of the lay to a point within the range of the comb 81. The shed-forming means, beat-up means and picker means are each operated by fluid pressure motors having valves actuated by electromagnets arranged in circuits controlled by the shuttle in the end position of its path of travel. A stop motion operated upon failure of a weft pick is arranged to break the circuit including the electromagnet for controlling a picker-operating motor. To provide for access to the eyes of the healds for mending the warp, the reed 13 has its lower rib 14 freely seated in a groove in the lay and its upper rib received in open seats of brackets 16 so that the reed can be lifted clear of the seats-and tilted. The beating-up comb 81 and transfer fingers 66 are actuated by a flexible band 71 and rod 72 extending from the piston of a fluid pressure motor .73, the valve of which is operated by the armature 74 of an electromagnet 75. The comb 81 is arranged upon a drum 77 having a pulley 78 around which the band 71 is arranged, and the fingers 66 which normally lie in grooves 68 in the lay 8 are mounted upon a drum 65 having a projecting lug 69 engaged by a roller 70 upon the flexible band 71. The healds are operated individually by fluid pressure motors 25, 26, the valves of which are controlled by electromagnets 38. The pickers 11, 12, normally urged outwards by springs 46 are operated fluid pressure motors 49, 50 under control of magnets 58 energised by the contact of a switch 54 with members 55, 56 arranged in the circuits corresponding to the two pickers. In operation, a shuttle 96, e.g. in the left-hand box, Fig. 24 closes a switch 62 and completes a circuit from a battery through a rocking switch 43 and actuates the corresponding heald, and at the same time a circuit is closed through the magnet 75 actuating the transfer and beating-up mechanism. At the end of the stroke of the piston of the heald-operating motor, the switch 43 is knocked over from the contact 45 to the contact 44 closing the circuit through the electromagnet 58 which operated the picker stick 12 which throws the shuttle into the right-hand box to close the switch 61. The motors discharge their spent air through vents into the weaving room and may be used to condition and humidify the air of the weaving room. The stop motion comprises a forked lever 90 pivoted upon the lay and having its pronged end overlying a depression 94 in the lay beneath the shuttle path. A spring 95 normally holds the lever 90 tilted upwards and a solenoid 98 when energised pulls the lever downwards on to the weft 76. When the shuttle runs out or the weft breaks the lever falls into the depression 94 to operate a striker 106 so that a pivoted hook 104 is raised free of a spring controlled switch 100, and the main circuit is broken to stop the loom. The solenoid 98 is in parallel circuit with one of the magnets 38 operating the shedding mechanism so that the lever 90 is drawn down into testing position once for each two picks.