Improvements in Automatic Stop-motions or Stopping Mechanism for Looms.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 10th June, 1899
Complete Specification Left, 12th Mar., 1900-Accepted, 9th June, 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Automatic Stop-motions or Stopping Mechanism for
Looms.
We, GUILIELM CUSTERS, Manager of Works, of Schwogenstrasse 59, FRIEDRICH
CUSTERS, Merchant, and WILHELM CUSTERS, Workman, both of Peterstrasse 57,
all of München-Gladbach, in the Kingdom of Prussia, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to appliances for automatically stopping a power-loom,
when the shuttle thread breaks, or when the shuttle bobbin runs empty, and has
for its object, to stop the loom more rapidly, than is the case with the automatic
stop-motions hitherto known, that is to say to stop it before the broken weft thread
or the extremity of the empty-running spool has been struck or closed up by
the lay.
In the stopping mechanism commonly used, a horizontal sliding rod is mounted
on the lay and caused to move to and fro parallel with the lay within certain
limits determined by a spring pawl, at every oscillation of the lay, provided that
the weft thread is not broken but the said rod is prevented from sliding longitudi-
nally, if the weft thread breaks.
According to the present invention the said sliding rod is connected at
one end with a bolt which takes part in the motion of the sliding rod, and is so
arranged, that in case the weft thread has been broken, the said bolt will during
the forward motion of the lay act on a disengaging lever or similar device and
thereby disengage the moveable coupling of the driving shaft or driving pulley.
In order to stop the motion of the loom and the return of the lay immediately
after the release of the coupling, I connect the free end of the disengaging lever
mentioned above with a rod, which on the breaking of a thread operates a spring
hook or a brake in such a manner, as to prevent the further motion of the
mechanism.
In stop-mechanisms of this class the centre of the lay is usually provided with
feelers pivoted on the lay. I provide such feelers not only in the middle, but
also at the ends of the lay, which feelers are actuated by a horizontal slide com-
posed of several parts held together by spring action, the said parts being so held
by a spring pawl where the shuttle enters the shed, that the respective feeler
remains at rest in the recess of the slide.
.. 1011 JS 1800
FAIRFAX & WETTER,
Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: Improvements in Automatic Stop-motions or Stopping Mechanism for
Looms.
We, GUILIELM CUSTERS, Manager of Works, of Schwogenstrasse, 59, FRIEDRICH
CUSTERS, Merchant, and WILHELM CUSTERS, Workman, both of Peterstrasse 57,
all of München-Gladbach, in the Kingdom of Prussia, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particu-
larly described and ascertained in and by the following manner:―
The automatic stopping devices for looms commonly employed do not effect
an immediate stoppage of the mechanisms, which continue for a time to be
moved by the stored-up energy, after the weft thread has been broken, or the
bobbin has exhausted its supply of thread, and in looms where more than one
spool are used, frequently the second and third weft threads besides,-are
struck, and the weaver after opening the shed, must, in that case, break off and
remove each of the threads. This involves considerable waste of time and loss
of material, and in addition to this, as it necessitates a repeated pulling back of
the fabric, the latter is somewhat unduly stretched, which destroys its uniform
appearance. Various attempts have been made to devise means for stopping
the motion of looms instantaneously, but the means adopted were incapable of
preventing the ends of threads, whether broken or drawn off an exhausted spool,
from being struck by the batten.
These defects are remedied by the arrangement represented in the accompanying
drawings, which stops the motion of the loom without permitting the batten to
strike again the end of a broken-off or used-up thread. What happens is, that
not only is the driving pulley uncoupled, but a brake is thrown into gear, serving
to check any further motion of the loom. The loom is fitted with the usual
means for throwing it out of operation, which, whenever the thread breaks, shifts
the strap on to the loose pulley.
In the accompanying drawings:-
Fig. 1 is an end elevation of a mechanism embodying our invention;
Fig. 2 is an end view of the same, but in a different stage of operation;
Fig. 3 is an elevation at right angles to Figs. 1 and 2;
Fig. 4 is a pian ;
Figs. 3 and 5 to 13 show details of construction.
Our automatic stopping mechanism comprises in its construction a sliding
rod s attached to the batten and connected with a sliding rod a (by means of an
arm, Fig. 3) and with another rod s linked to the breast-beam." As the batten
or lay moves backwards and forwards, the rod s imparts a reciprocating motion
to the rods, so long as the pawl or catch k pivoted to the batten, admits of such
motion, whilst the weft-thread is not broken, this catch is held in the raised
position by the tongues or thread-feelers" with which the said catch is provided
for the purpose; the moment a thread breaks, however, the catch drops into
a recess, or in front of a stop 1 (as the case may be), provided in or on the
slide a connected with the rods, so that such rods can no longer alter its relative
position to the batten (Figs. 6 to 8), but the resilient rod s', as the batten continues
to move, must shift instead. The mechanism herein described for throwing the
loom out of gear is that which is now generally used, and constitutes no improve-
ment on existing arrangements.
But in the apparatus constructed in accordance with this invention, the rod s
is additionally connected on one side with a bolt r. When a thread has broken,
so that the rods must stop moving along the batten, the said bolt, as it moves
forward, assumes the operative position, in which it is shown in Fig. 2: were it

page_text: not to do so, it would be thrust back by the rod s¹. As the batten continues in
motion, the bolt having slid forward, impinges upon the lever h, which it
thus also moves in the forward direction (see Figs. 1, 3, 12 and 13). In thus
advancing, the lever meets the incline on the lever and thereby imparts to
the latter a slight rotary movement, so that the coupling sleeve t connected with
such lever b, which is mounted on the shaft w and engages with the hub of the
pulley t, is drawn back and releases this pulley t. To the lever h is linked the
rod h which is joined to a levere by a slightly resilient connection, so that this
lever is moved at the same time (refer in particular to Figs. 1 and 3). The
lever is mounted on the pivot c¹, whereon is also placed the hook d. As the
lever is pulled, the hook d performs a movement which causes it to pass over
and engage with a tappet n provided on the fly-wheel. By such means the
said wheel and the entire mechanism are stopped. To avoid concussion at this
stage, the hook d is adapted to slide within a sleeve d', and placed under the
control of a powerful spring f, which permits the fly-wheel to continue in motion
for a short space, and then causes it to turn back, so that the batten remains in
its rearward position, leaving the broken weft-thread free, and thus enabling it
to be quickly re-attached. If preferred, a brake may be substituted for the
hook . In order to ensure the stoppage of the loom in those cases also, where
the weft breaks, after the shuttle has passed the centre of the loom, where in
existing constructions, one thread-feeler has been provided, the batten is here
fitted not with one, but with three-or if necessary, more than three-weft thread
feelers. As the lay has not yet completed its return motion at the time, when
the shuttle enters the shed, the lifting of the feeler situated on the same side
has also not been completed; consequently the shuttle would come in collision
with the feeler. To avoid such an occurence, provision has been made, that on
that side where the shuttle enters the shed, the feelers remain below, and that con-
sequently the shuttle travels above the same, while the other feelers, which the
shuttle will pass only when the lay has returned sufficiently, are lifted as usual.
The function of keeping the respective feeler below is performed by the same
mechanisms which cause the shuttle to be started on either side of the loom and
which vary according to the particular type of loom used. In looms with change-
box on one side only, the improved arrangement is preferably operated by an
eccentric (half-moon guide") attached to the fly-wheel. In the example shown,
the arrangement is supposed to be added to a loom with change boxes on both
sides. The novel device is here operated from the shuttle-operating shaft, which,
as usual, according as the shuttle enters the shed from one or the other side,―is
turned slightly in one direction (vide the dotted position Fig. 1). Through the
medium of the lever e, the said shaft moves the lever g, whence the motion is
transmitted to the rod through the intermediary of the rod i and bell-crank
lever so that the said rod 7 reciprocates. This rod is so connected with the
levers, that, as it moves in one direction, one of the said levers, and as it moves
in the opposite direction, the other lever is raised and made to engage in a recess
or notch provided in the corresponding portion of the slide, which is thus arrested.
The feelers are arranged as usual; they are pivoted to the batten and controlled
by the slide a, the reciprocating motion of which, as the batten advances and
recedes, is effected by the resilient rod s linked to the breast-beam. The slide
is, in the usual manner, provided with slanting notches a', whereby the levers m
connected with the feeler tongue are raised from time to time whilst in motion.
The slide a is constructed in three parts, each of which is capable of telescopic
adjustment relatively to the others, but they are retained in their proper position
in relation to each other by springs u. These springs admit one or the other
lateral portions of the slide a remaining stationary, while the intermediate part
which is coupled with the rod s takes part in the sliding motion of the extremity
Consequently, that part may remain stationary, whose recesses engage with the
pawl or catch e, and as this part stands so, that the lever rests in the recess
the feeler tongue will retain its position below, until, through the disengagement

page_text: of the catch, that portion of the slide a becomes released and the corresponding
spring u restores such part of the slide to its normal position in relation to the
other parts of the same. When the shuttle moves in the opposite direction, the
tongue on the other side drops into the notch and likewise remains in engagement
therewith, until the shuttle has completed its movement.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is: -
1. Automatic apparatus for rapidly stopping the motion of looms, when a weft-
thread breaks, or when the bobbins run empty, and this before the broken thread
or the tail end of the thread run off the bobbins has been struck by the lay,
chiefly comprising a bolt r or similar device connected with the rods and adapted
to impinge against a lever or similar device acting on a coupling sleeve t¹, when-
ever the position of the said bolt is altered by the rupture of the thread, and
thereby to disconnect the driving pulley on the forward motion of the lay, sub-
stantially as described.
2. In an automatic stop-motion of the type specified. the means for immediately
stopping the loom and interrupting the return of the lay after the uncoupling,
chiefly comprising a rod ¹ connected with the lever hand adapted to operate
on the breaking of a thread, so as to immediately check the further motion of the
mechanisms, through the intermediary of a spring-catch d or a brake, substan-
tially as described.
3. In automatic stop-motions of the type specified, the use of feelers, not only
in the middle of the lay, but also at the ends, in combination with a slide a
composed of several parts held together by elasticity and adapted to act on the
said feelers; the parts of the said slide being so held by a pawl, on the side of
the loom where the shuttle enters the shed, that the corresponding tongue remains
in the recess of the slide, substantially as described.
ated this 10th day of March 1900
FAIRFAX & WETTER,
Agents, 37 and 39, Essex Street, Strand, London.