Patent GB-565990-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to safety devices for carding engines
IPC: D01G31/00
Filed: 1943-03-27
Abstract: 565,990. Machinery safety devices. GIBSON, W. March 27, 1943, Nos. 4992, 16479 and 18978. [Class 80 (iv)] In a carding engine having a top cover, doors below the cover, and gate means to cover the gearing and locking means therefor, a common control member for all such locking means is associated with a moving part of the engine and with the starting and stopping mechanism thereof, in such a manner that the cover, doors and gate cannot be opened until the engine has come to rest, and the engine cannot be started until the control member has been moved to locking position. The locking means comprises a common control bar 1, Figs. 1, 2, 4, slidable in brackets 2 above the three doors 3, each of which has a ramp 5 engageable by projections 4 on the bar. In the position shown in Fig. 1, the doors and a cover 23 above them are locked, but when the bar 1 is moved to the right by a handle 1a, the doors are unlocked and a projection 22 on the bar comes opposite a slot in the lower edge of the cover 23 to unlook the latter. When in this right-hand position, a slot 6 in the bar may be entered by a handle 7, Figs. 1, 2, pivoted at 8 and connected by an arm 9 to a rod 10 slidably mounted in brackets 12, Fig. 6, on a slide 13 movable between guides 14 on a base 15. Between the brackets the rod has a collar 10a and a compression spring 10b. The slide 13 carries a disc 17 with notch 20, the disc being cut away to receive the slide and being so out of balance that it normally rests as shown in Fig. 6, with the notch 20 in line with rod 10, so that the handle 7 may be raised from the slot 6 and the bar 1 freed. Should, however, the machine be moving, movement of handle 7 forces the disc 17 against the rotating machine disc 11 whereby the disc 17 is tilted to bring notch 20 out of line with rod 10 as in Fig. 10, so that handle 7 cannot be raised or the bar 1 moved until the machine stops. Moving bar 1 to the left to start the machine closes the doors. The top cover hinge carries a disc 24 with recess 24a engaged, when the cover is closed, by a pin 25 on a bell-crank 25a connected by a link 26 with another bell-crank 27 having a tail 28 held just clear of the bar 1. When this bar is moved to the right and the cover opened, the tail 28 engages a slot in the bar which is thus locked while the cover is open. The gearing is enclosed by two slidable half-gates 30, Figs. 2, 4, on the guide rails 31 of which are mounted brackets carrying a pin on which are pivoted long and short arms 34, 35, the ends of which engage the inner ends of the gates. The arms 34, 35 are connected by link 38, bell-crank 39, 42 to a link 43 carrying two studs 44, Fig. 1, adapted to embrace the bar 1. The upper stud passes through a slot 45 in the casing and forms a handle 44a. When bar 1 is in locking position, the lower stud 44 is held down and the gates are held closed by the ends of the arms 34, 35. When the bar is moved to the unlocking position, a slot 46, Fig. 1, therein permits the handle 44a to be raised and the gates to be opened. Further, if a gate be open the lower stud is held in the slot 46 and the bar cannot be moved to start the machine. In a modification, Fig. 11 (not shown), the gates are pivoted and interlocked and, when open, cause a bolt to be projected through a hole in the bar 1. This bar, at the other side of the machine, has a pin-and-slot connection with a lever 61, Fig. 1, an arcuate member 63 on which has a cam surface 64, Fig. 5, adapted to be engaged by one end of a bar 65 slidable in brackets 66 and having a slot 68 therein adapted to be entered by a bar 69 on the belt shifter fork 70. When the bar 1 is in locking position, the bar 65 can be moved by handle 71 to bring notch 68 in line with bar 69. If the bar is in unlocking position, the surface 64 pushes bar 65 to the left to bring notch 68 out of alignment with the bar 69. Thus, the machine cannot be started until all doors, cover and gates are closed. Means may be provided whereby the doors 3 and cover 23 may be opened by an authorized person while the machine is running. Thus, an additional bar 72, Fig. 14, is carried by guides 73 slidable on the bar 1, the projections 4, 22 being formed by the back plates of the guides. The bars 1, 72 are normally locked together by a bolt 75 controlled by a lock 78 operated by a key which can only be withdrawn when the bolt is in its locking position. The projections 4, 22 can therefore be released from the bar 1.