Patent GB-190110052-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in Belt Driving Gearing applicable for Self Acting Mules and other Machines.
Inventor: KIRKPATRICK GEORGE HENRY
Filed: 1901-05-15
Granted: 1902-05-01
Abstract: 10,052. Kirkpatrick, G. H. May 15. Mules.-Relates to fast and loose pulleys, to a clutch pulley, and to automatic beltshifting apparatus, by which a countershaft is alternately driven at a high and at a low speed. The invention is described in connection with a self-acting mule, but it is generally applicable. The countershaft B carries fast and loose pulleys A for driving it at a high speed, fast and loose pulleys C for driving it at a low speed, and a drum D for transmitting motion to the machine. The high-speed fast pulley A<2> is driven by two narrow belts, instead of one wide one, and it has two narrow loose pulleys A, A', one on each side of it; the belt-forks are arranged to be moved simultaneously towards and away from each other to throw the belts on to and off the fast pulley. The lowspeed fast pulley drives the shaft through a ratchet-clutch so that, when the high-speed belts are thrown on, the shaft is free to over-run it and there is no necessity for shifting the belt. The belt-shipper H for the low-speed belt is actuated by a vertical spindle H<3>. The belt-shippers J, K for the high-speed belts are coupled to the opposite ends of a pivoted beam L and are actuated automatically. When the mule carriage approaches the outer end of its travel, it knocks up the lever P<14>, and this turns the lever P<6> and liberates a trigger P<5>, thereby allowing the descent of a weighted rod having a wedge N on its upper end ; the wedge bears upon a bowl on the end of a rod M' which is jointed to a lever fixed to the beam L so that its descent causes the belt-shippers J, K to be thrown over. The lower end of the rod P is then supported upon a slide-block P<10>. When all the twist is imparted to the yarn and the high speed is no longer required, the finger S, acting upon a lever S', rod P<11>, and lever P<8>, shifts the block aside and allows the rod to fall still further. The top of the wedge is thus brought below the bowl of the rod M', which is then shot to the right by its spring M<3>, and the belt-shippers throw the belts back on to the loose pulleys, whereupon the lowspeed pulley resumes the driving. As the carriage moves back to the other end of its travel, a bowl R<2> carried upon it depresses the lever Q, which, by means of a cord O<1>, pulls up the wedge. The top of the wedge is formed with a knife-edge projection which engages with the end of the bowl and pushes it into re-engagement with the wedge. When the high-speed belts are on the pulley A and the belt-shipper H is operated to throw the low-speed belt on its loose pulley, a bowl H<4> thereon presses against a chain H<5>, which couples the belt-shipper J to the end of the bowl ; the bowl is thus drawn off the wedge sideways, and the spring M<3> then acts upon the belt-shippers J, K to throw the belts on to the loose pulleys. The clutch used for the low-speed pulley is shown in Figs. 6 and 7. A steel ring G, capable of a limited angular movement in relation to the pulley, is pressed op against a leather ring on the back of the ratchet-wheel E, so that, when this over-runs the pulley, the ring is carried forward and, by reason of projections on its periphery coming into contact with fingers F<5> thereon, lifts the pawls out of gear.