Alarm Apparatus for Erroneous Action of Automatic Weighing Feeds of Carding Engines.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Aug., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 7th May, 1897-Accepted, 12th June, 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Alarm Apparatus for Erroneous Action of Automatic Weighing
Feeds of Carding Engines.
RICHARD JENNINGS, Engineer Fountain Street Huddersfiold, and JOHN
WILKINSON, Woollen Carder Beogh Street Huddersfield, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to provide an apparatus in connection with the
automatic weighing feeds of carding engines (commonly called hopper feeds) which
will automatically ring a bell electrical or mechanical so as to call the attention
of the person in charge should a weigh of the fibrous material from any cause
fail to drop in time to be delivered from the weighing scale to the lattice feeder
board.
In carrying out our invention we take advantage of the synchronism of action
of the weighing scale or trough and some of the working parts adjacent to said
weighing scale which normally exists on every make of automatic weighing feeds
in use on carding engines.
We will first describe the principle we employ in our invention, and afterwards
describe in detail the actual means and method we make use of to put this principle
into practice on one of the several makes of hopper weighing feeds.
The principle we employ is to fix an adjustable lug or projection on some moving
part of the automatic feed which lies adjacent to one end of the weighing scale or
trough, and which part has a periodic motion that is synchronous with the normal
motion of eaid weighing scale. The motion of the part to which the lug is fixed
may be either reciprocatory or circular, if circular the lug is fixed or cast on the
circumference of a plate the latter being fixed on the revolving axis by set screw
so as to be easily adjusted to that part of the revolution required. Parallel to the
path of the moving lug is a sliding piece also provided with a lug or projection and
the sliding piece is provided with a spring which keeps it normally at one end of
its travel. This sliding piece is capable of a slight lateral mution which causes
the two lugs to clear each other when passing, and this lateral motion is obtained
either direct or indirect from the descent of the weighing scale which normally
takes place at each round of action when the fibrous imaterial in the weigh scale
pan preponderates.
The position of the moving lug and the lug on the sliding piece are so adjusted
that they have not come in contact with each other at the instant the weighing
trough weighs or descends when such descent takes place at the right interval of
time as it always does when the automatic feed is working properly; and as it is
the descent of the weighing scale or trough which moves the sliding piece laterally
either directly or indirectly so that its lug may be out of the path of the moving
lug no action of the sliding piece takes place, but should the descent of the
weighing trough be delayed sufficient to prevent its contents being delivered on to
the feeder board at that round of action then the moving lug comes right in front
of the lug on the sliding piece eansing the latter to be carried with it a certain
distance and this motion of the sliding piece we employ either to close the circuit
of an electric bell or to operate mechanically the clapper of some kind of ordinary"
bell so as to give an alarm to the attendant in charge.
'

page_text: In applying our alarm apparatus to that form of automatic hopper feed known.
in the trade as Haigh's we fix the lug intended to travel ou to the reciprocating
connecting rod which operates the batten along the surface of the lattice feeder
board, and we give it such a form and fix it in such a way that its position can
readily be adjusted both horizontally and vertically, and we fix our sliding piece or
its equivalent with its projecting lug to the continuation of the arin of the strap
guide belonging to the hopper fued. This arm has a short lateral movement given
to it each time the weigh scale descends which inovoment takes the sliding piece
attached to it out of the path of the travelling lug.
The sliding piece or its equivalent is provided with a spring as before described
which keeps it normally at one end of its travel and it is so arranged that when it
is moved a certain distance in opposition to its spring the said sliding piece is made
to close the circnit of an electric bell or to operate upon a bell mechanically so as
to warn the attendant that the automatic feed is not working properly.
The action is as follows; When the automatic weighing feed to which our alarm
apparatus is attached is acting properly the weigh scale descends at the propor
time and the strap guide arm which carries tho sliding piece or its equivalent is
moved sideways out of the path of the moving lug before the two lags have come
in contact so that no action of the sliding piece takes place and consequently
no alarm is given (nor is any alarm given so long as the hopper feed works properly)
but should anything go wrong with the hopper feed which would cause the weigh
scalo not to drop at its proper time (which is often the case when rags or twing
happen to be among the fibrous material in the hopper or when the hopper is
getting nearly empty) the two lugs would then come into contact causing tho
eliding piece to be carried forward a certain distance, which movement of the
sliding piece we make use of to close the circuit of an electrio bell or to mechanically
ring any kind of bell which experiment will prove to us to be the best adaptel for
the purpose in haud.
The equivalent of the sliding piece may be the bell itself when a mechanically
ringing bell is used and the travelling lug mentioned may consist of three or four
lugs all in on piece so as to give three or four distinct actions on the bell when the
hopper feed is going wrong.
Dated this 20th day of August 1896.
RICHARD JENNINGS.
JOHN WILKINSON.
Alarm Apparatus for Erroneous Action of Automatio Weighing
Feeds of Carding Engines.
We, RICHARD JENNINGS, of Fountain Street, Huddersfield, in the County of
York, Engineer, and JOHN WILKINSON, of Boech Streot, Huddersfield, aforesaid,
Woollen Carder, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertaine l
in and by the following statement :-
This invention refers to the weighing mechanism of automatic hopper feeders for
feeding wool and other fibres to carding machines, and comprises a new or improved
method of and means for giving audible warning when the weighing mechanism
fails to act or is delayed in its action from whatever cause such failure or delay
may arise.
In carrying out our invention we take advantage of the synchronism of action
of the weighing mechanism and, on some moving part of the automatio feed having

page_text: a motion corresponding to or synchronous with that of the said weigh mechanism,
we secure a quadrant or disc carrying one or more teeth or sturls.
Above the said quadrant, in any suitable position, we pivot a lever or levers the
rear end of which carries a hinged arm or tumbling lever provided, at its lower end,
with a stud or projection which normally lies in the path of the tooth or teeth on
the quadrant or dise and, at its upper end, with a clapper or striker adapted, when the
tumbling lever is actuated, to strike a bell or gong. The front end of the pivotted
lever is provided with or has formed thereon a projection or finger which lies in
the path of a suitable part of the weigh mechanism, such as the stud or axis
aupporting the weigh pau, whose movement, when a full weigh of fibre is deposited
in the said pan, brings it into abutment wit the projection on the lever and
oscillates the latter in such manner as to place the stud on the hinged arm or
tumbling lever clear of the tooth or teeth on the quadrant, whereby no alarm
is given, this being repeated at every round of action so long as the feed is
working properly. When, however, an insufficient weigh of fibre ie doposited
in the scale pan, or the weigh mechanism otherwise fails to act or is late in its
action, the non-descent of the weigh pan at the proper moment allows the lever
to remain in its normal position and, consequently, the stud on the tumbling
lever is engaged or successively engaged by the tooth or teeth on the quadrant
or disc as it rotates and such lever oscillated on its centre against the tension
of a spiral spring which, as the tooth or each tooth rides clear of the stud,
draws the tumbling lever sharply back to its original position, in doing which
the clapper or striker is brought into contact with the bell or gong and thereby
gives audible warning to the attendant that the feed is not working properly.
When an electric alarm is employed, we form a slot in the hinged arm or
tumbling lever through which is passed a sliding piece having a lug or depending
finger or catch at one end thereof and connected at the other end to a spiral spring
which is secured to a switch.
The finger or catch on the sliding pieco is raised clear of the quadrant, or tooth
or teeth thereon, on the completion of a full weigh of fibro in the same manner as
above set forth when the feed is acting properly, but when any failure or improper
action takes place such as fails to actuate the lever at the proper time the said
finger or catch remains in the path of the quadrant and is engaged thereby and
drawn forward through the slot in the hinged arm by which means the switch is
operated to complete the electric circuit and the bell rung, the alarm continuing su
long as the sliding piece is engaged by the quadrant.
In order that our said invention may be fully understood, reference is hereafter
had to the annexed drawings forming a part of this specification, in which :-
Fig. 1 is side elevation of so much of an automatic feed for feeding wool and
other fibres to carding machines as is essential to shew the application of our
improvements.
Fig. 2 is elevation of our improvements as devised for completing an electric bell
circuit.
Referring to Fig. 1 letter A represents a portion of the side framing of a hopper
feed within the hopper of which is placed the bulk of wool or other fibre to be fed
to the carding machine and from whence it is removed in small quantities by a
spiked lattice slicet and ultimately deposited in the weigh pan B which is mounted
on oue end of the weigh beam or lever C fulcrummed at D and carrying at its
opposite end the counterbalance weights E.
When the weight of fibre deposited in the pan B exceeds that of the counter-
balance weights E, the pan descenda to the extent determined by the recess in the
forked bracket F against the bottom of which the axis B' of the pan abuts, as
shewn in dotted line, and supports said pan whilst it is turned over to empty the
fibre on to the feeding apron of the carding machine, the above being arranged
and acting in the ordinary well known manner and forming no part of our
invention.
Our invention consists in employing a rocking lever or feeler, such as G,

page_text: pivotted on a stud G and adapted to be moved on its centre when the Ecale pan
descends and to remove a stud or projection H on the lower end of a hinged
arm carried on the end of lever G, clear of the path of a tooth or teeth I on the
periphery of a quadrant J, or it may be a disc, and, when the scale pan fails to
descend, to remaiu in its normal position and hold the stud H in the path of the
tooth or teeth I. so that it or they, as the quadrant rotates, will engage or
successively engage with said stud and force the hinged arm from the position
shewn in full line to that shewn in dotted line in Fig. 1 from which position when
the tooth or each tooth rides clear of the stud H, the arm is drawn sharply back
again by the spiral spring K attached at one end to the arm H' and at the opposite
end to the lever or feeler G, thereby causing the clapper or striker H' carried by
or forming part of the armi H' to strike the bell or gong L, once, or as many times
as there are teeth on the quadrant J.
The free end of the lever or feeler G is provided with any suitable projection G
which is in line with the path of the axis B' of the scale pan B and normally
occupies a position within the arc of motion of said axis whereby when the scale
pan descends on the deposit therein of a full weigh of fibre the axis B' will engage
the said projection and turn the lever G on its ceutre to the extent of its remaining
downward motion, thereby elevating the opposite end of the said lever and raising
the hinged arm H the requisite distance to place the stud H thereon clear of the
tooth or teeth on the quadrant J as shewn in dotted line in Fig. 1; but in the
event of the scale pan not descending, or failing to descend at the proper time,
the lever G will remain inoperative or be actuated too late to remove the stud H
clear of the path of the tooth or teeth I on the quadrant, which is timed to present
the same just after the scale pan has descended under normal conditions, and,
consequently, the said stud is engaged or successively engaged by the tooth or
teeth I and the bell or alarm sounded, thus giving waruing to the attendant that
the hopper feed is not working properly aud requires immediate attention. The
lever G may be actuated by any other part of the weighing mechanism, such as,
the weigh beam or lever C, as found most convenient or best suited to the make of
machine to which our improvements are applied.
The hinged arm or tumbling lever H hung on a pin H on the end of lover G
and is normally held in a vertical position by the spring K, its movement in one
direction being prevented by a stop piece M secured to the lever Gor to a bracket
or part of the machine frame. The pin H projects a short distance from the rear
side of the lever so as to engage with the framework A when in its normal position
to hold the lever G and parts in the positions shewn in full line, or a stop piece
may be fixed to the machine frame for this purpose.
The quadrant or disc J is mounted on a moving part of the hopper feed which is
timed in its motion to accord with the action of the weighing mechanism, such part
being, preferably, the crank N on shaft N which actuates the connecting rod O
for reciprocating the batten or comb O' over the surface of the endless apron of
the carding machine to spread and feed the fibre which is emptied out of the scale
pau, forward to said machine in a regular and uniform manner. The quadrant is
preferably bolted to the crank arm N and is adapted to be adjusted to suit the
timing of the feed, or to act sooner or later as required.
Instead of the alarm being a mechanical one as above set forth, we may adopt an
electric alarm, in which case we employ the arrangement shewn in Fig. 2. In this
arrangemeut the hinged arm H is provided with a slot H near its lower end
through which is passed and is adapted to work therein a eliding piece P having a
tooth or projection P' on one end thereof and attached at its opposite end by spiral
spring K to a part K' connected with an electric switch in the switch box K'.
The quadrant J may be provided with a tooth or teeth as proviously described, or
it may be plain as shewn in Fig. 2 and its forward extremity adapted to engage
with the tooth or projection P when left in its path, the advantage of the latter
being that the sliding piece is drawn out and held for a longer period of time than
if actuated by a tooth on the periphery of the quadrant, and thus gives one long

page_text: continuous ring. The lever G, when actuated by the descent of the weigh pan at.
the right moment, raises the arm H and sliding piece P and places the tooth Pl on
the latter clear of the quadrant as above set forth so that no action takes place
beyond this, but when the feed is erroneous in its action or fails to act, the abscence
of movement on the part of the weigh mechanism allows the lever G and arm H to
remain in their normal positions, whereby at the time when the scale pan should
have reached its lowest position the quadrant takes hold of the tooth P' and draws
the sliding piece P outward, as shewn in dotted line, against the tension of spring K.
by which means the switch is actuated and completes the circuit thereby setting
the bell ringing, the alarm continuing until the quadrant rides clear and allows the
spring to draw back the sliding piece P and break the circuit.
The arrangement of the parts hereinbefore set forth may be modified to suit any
particular make of automatic feed without departing from the main features of our
invention.
Having now particularly shewn and described our said invention and in what.
manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim is :-
Firstly. The application and employment in combination with the weigh.
mechanism of an automatic hopper feed for feeding wool and other fibres to
carding machines, of a lever or feeler such as G, a hinged arm or tumbling lever-
carried on the end of said lever and provided at one end thereof with a clapper or
striker and at the opposite end with a stud or projection, a spiral spring K,
a quadrant or disc having a motion timed to accord with the periodic action of the
weighing mechanism and provided on its periphery with a tooth or tecth, and a bell
or gong adapted to be struck by clapper or striker on the end of the hinged
arm, all arranged operated and operating in the manner and for the purposes.
Bubstantially as herein shewn and described.
Secondly. The application and employment in combination with the weighing
mechanism of an automatic hopper feed, of a lever or feeler G, arm H, sliding
piece P supported by said arm and having a depending tooth or projection at one
end thereof, a spiral spring connecting said sliding piece to an electric switch, and
a quadrant or disc such as J with or without a tooth or teeth on its periphery, all
arranged and operating in the manner and for the purposes substantially as herein
shown and described.
Thirdly. The general arrangement, operation and combination of parts.
comprising our improvements for giving a mechanical or electrical alarm when the-
weighing mechanism of an automatic hopper feed fails to act or acts erroneously,
substantially as herein shewn and described.
Dated this 6th day of May 1897.
TASKER & CROSSLEY,
Huddersfield, Patent Agents.