Improvements in Shuttle-changing Mechanism for Looms.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 5th June, 1890
Complete Specification Left. 25th Feb., 1891-Accepted, 28th Mar., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Shuttle-changing Mechanism for Looms.
We, ROBERT ADAM WHYTLAW, Junior, of Grove Park Mills, Glasgow, in
the County of Lanark, North Britain, Manufacturer, and JOHN KINCAID, of the
same place, Mechanic, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows, that is to say :-
This invention relates to shuttle-changing mechanism of a kind in use with
vertically shifting shuttle boxes, in which a combination of a crank pin and two or
more eccentrics one within the other thereon is employed for shifting the shuttle
box; and its object is by improved details to increase the steadiness and accuracy
of working, in a manner to obtain increased speed with diminished liability to
derangement.
The crank and eccentrics are turned by means of pinions, those of the eccentrics
being on tubular spindles one within the other, and acting on the eccentrics by
radial grooves or slots and pins. The pinions gear with wheels of double the size
carried loosely on a fixed spindle and these wheels, hereinafter termed pin wheels,
have each on one face four projecting pins, capable of being acted on by a hooked
bar acted on from the low shaft of the loom so as to reciprocate with a stroke
sufficient for turning the pin wheel a quarter round. When any pin wheel is acted
on by its hooked bar exactly half a turn is imparted to the corresponding crank or
eccentric and the parts are arranged so that the half turn moves the crank pin or
the centre of the eccentric from its highest to its lowest position or from its fowest
to its highest position. The half turn of the crank pin gives a vertical movement
equal to the space between one shuttle cell and the next higher or lower cell. The
vertical movement of one eccentric may be equal to the space of one cell or of two
cells, and that of a second eccentric may be equal to the space of three cells or of
four cells. A crank pin and two eccentrics will serve for six or for eight shuttles;
and each additional eccentric will nearly double the capacity. The spear or con-
necting rod of the shuttle box is jointed to the outermost eccentric. The hooked
bars can act at each second beat-up of the lathe, but they are held up so as not to
engage with the pins of the pinwheels except when the pattern requires a change
of shuttle. Any suitable pattern mechanism may be used, but a common arrange-
ment of a rising Jacquard barrel and cards or linked plates is very suitable, holes in
the cards or plates being filled up to suit the pattern and to act on levers which
when lifted cause the hooked bars to engage with the pin wheels. At any change
a single pin wheel may be acted on or two or all three according to the extent of
shift to be imparted to the shuttle box.
On the side of each pin wheel opposite to that having the pins a stationary
adjustable friction disk or plate of as large a size as the pin wheel will conveniently
admit of is applied to prevent the pin wheel from being moved too far in con-
sequence of the quickness of the action a piece of flannel or other soft material
being placed between the disk and the pin wheel. And an improved locking device
is employed to hold each pin wheel accurately in position between the shifts. This
device consists of two levers, one centered on a pin or spindle and made with two
segmental concavities fitting two of the pins of the pin wheel when in the locking
position. This lever has also formed on it a part which lifts the hooked bar and
keeps it from acting on the pin wheel excepting when required. The other lever
turns upwards under the first which it moves into the locking position where it
holds it except at the times when a shift or shuttle may take place. To avoid
breakage in the event of an obstruction occurring to the action of the mechanism,
each hooked bar is made in two parts fitted to slide upon each other, and the two

page_text: parts are connected by one or two strong springs which yield and allow the parts to
separate when an obstruction resists the effort of the hooked bar to pull round its
pin wheel.
ז
CT 2004
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicants' Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Shuttle-changing Mechanism for Looms.
We,
ROBERT ADAM WHYTLAW, Junior, of Grove Park Mills, Glasgow, in the
County of Lanark, North Britain, Manufacturer, and JOHN KINCAID, of the same
place, Mechanic, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, that is to say :--
This invention relates to shuttle changing mechanism of a kind in use with
vertically shifting shuttle boxes, in which a combination of a crank pin and two or
more eccentrics one within the other thereon, is employed for shifting the shuttle
box and its object is by improved details to increase the steadiness and accuracy
of working, in a manner to obtain increased speed with diminished liability to
derangement.
;
Two sheets of explanatory drawings are hereunto appended, and on Sheet, 1,
thereof Figure, 1, is a side elevation of as much of a loom as is required to be
referred to in describing the improvements. Figure, 2, comprises separate sectional
and face views of parts shown combined in Figure, 3, which is a vertical section as
at right angles to Figure, 1. Figures, 4, and 3, on Sheet, 2, are a plan and section
of certain hooks and parts connected therewith by means of which the shifting
movements are effected. Figure, 6, is an edge view of a locking lever for con-
trolling the action of a hook on what is hereinafter termed a pin wheel. Figures, 7
and 8, show the pin wheel and parts in different positions and Figure, 9, is a section
of the pin wheel. In Figures 5, 7, and 8, the parts are shown as viewed from the
inner sides, and they appear reversed as compared with what is shown of them in
Figure, L. In these drawings the same reference letters and numerals are used to
mark the same or like parts wherever they are repeated.
The shuttle box, A, is connected by its spear or rod, B, to an eccentric pin, C,
on a ring or eccentric, D, which fits and can turn on an inner eccentric, E; and
this last fits and can turn on a crank pin, F, on a short shaft, G, carried in a small
frame, H, placed at the side of the loom. The shaft G, has fixed on it a pinion, F 1,
for turning the crank pin, and loose on the shaft there is a sleeve or tube, E 2,
having fixed on it a pinion, E I, for turning the eccentric, E; which it does by
means of a grooved plate, E 3, formed on the end of the sleeve, E 2, a pin, E 4,
fixed in the back of the eccentric, E, projecting into the groove of the plate, E 3.
In a similar manner a third pinion, D1, (which turns loosely on the sleeve E 2)
serves for turning the outer ring or eccentric, D, a pin, D 4, fixed to that ring
projecting backwards into a groove in a plate, D3, formed in the same piece with
the pinion, D1. The plate, D 3, is made double, or to extend in opposite directions
so as to be balanced.
The pinions, D 1, E 1, F 1, gear with toothed pin wheels, J, of which only the
outer one is seen in Figure, 1, these pin wheels being loose on a shaft carried by
the frame, E. Each pin wheel, J, has on its inner face four projecting pins or
studs, JI, capable of being acted on by a hook, K, acted on from the low shaft, L,
of the loom so as to reciprocate with a stroke sufficient for turning the pin wheel, J
a quarter round.
When any pin wheel, J, is acted on by its hook,-K, exactly half
a turn is imparted to the corresponding eccentric, D, E, or crank F, and the parts
are proportioned and arranged so that the half turn moves the acting part of the
eccentric or crank from its highest to its lowest position or from its lowest to its
highest position. The half turn of the crank più, F. giz. vertical movement

page_text: equal to the space between one shuttle cell and the next higher or lower cell. The
vertical movement of one eccentric, E, may be equal to the space of one cell or of
two cells, and that of the other eccentric, D, may be equal to the space of three
cells or of four cells. A crank pin and two eccentrics will serve for six shuttles or
for eight shuttles; and each additional eccentric will double the capacity.
The hooks, K, can act at cach second beat-up of the lathe, but each is held up
so as not to engage with the pins of its wheel, J, except when the pattern requires
a change of shuttle. Any suitable pattern mechanism may be used but a common
arrangement of a rising Jacquard barrel, M, such as is shown in Figure, 1, with
cards or linked plates is very suitable, holes in the cards or plates being filled up to
suit the pattern, and to act on levers, N, which when lifted cause the hooks, K, to
engage with the pin wheels, J. At any change a single pin wheel, J, may be acted
on or two or all three according to the extent of shift to be imparted to the
shuttle box.
On the side of each pin wheel, J, opposite to that having the pins, J1, a
stationary adjustable friction disk or plate, J 2, of as large a size as the pin wheel
will conveniently admit of is applied to prevent the pin wheel from being moved too
far in consequence of the quickness of the action, a piece of flannel or other soft
material being placed between the disk and the pin wheel. An improved locking
device is employed to hold each pin wheel, J, accurately in position between the
shifts. This device consists of two levers, P, Q, one, P, centered on a pin or
spindle, P 1, and made with two segmental concavities fitting two of the pins, J 1,
of the pin wheel when in the locking position. This lever I', has also formed on it
a part, P 2, which keeps the hook, K, from acting on the pin wheel excepting when
required. The other lever, Q, turns up under the first, P, which it moves into
the locking position as shown in Figure, 7, by the action of a strong spring, Q 1.
When a shift has to take place the outer end of the lever Q, is pulled up by a rod
or wire, Q2, connecting it to the corresponding lever, N, of the Jacquard apparatus
above and then a blade spring, P 3, acting on the bottom end of the lever, P, makes
that lever move away from the pin wheel, J, as shown in Figure, 8.
To avoid breakage in the event of an obstruction occurring to the action of the
mechanism the connection of the hooks, K, with the part actuating them is made
with an arrangement of springs allowing the parts to yield to excessive strain. On
the crank, L1, of the low shaft, L, there is jointed a piece, R, having fitted to
slide upon its sides the sides of a piece, S, to which the hooks, K, are jointed. The
sides of the piece, S, are connected by a pin, S1, working in a horizontal slot in
the piece, R, which is also made with a vertical slot, and has jointed to it two bell-
cranks, T. The inner arms of these bellcranks are arranged to move in the vertical
slot of the piece, R, and to grip between them the cross pin, S 1, of the piece, S ;
and they are acted on by strong springs, T 1, fixed to the lugs on the piece, R.
When an obstruction occurs the extra strain causes the springs, T 1, to yield slightly
and allow the cross pin, S 1, to slide between the inner arms of the bellcranks, T,
the cross pin moving back to its proper position when the return movement of the
piece, R, is made.
Having now particularly described the said invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim is:-
1. Combining with shuttle-changing mechanism of the kind referred to, steadying
and locking devices of the improved kind herein before described.
2. The improved device hereinbefore described with reference to Figures, 4
and 5, of the drawings, for obtaining the yielding of the parts when their action is
obstructed.
Dated this Twenty-fourth day of February 1891
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicants Agent.