US2580136A - Circuit closure for textile machines, etc. - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 25, 1951 Filed March 1, 1948 A. EISTEVENS CIRCUIT CLOSURE FOR TEXTILE MACHINES, ETC

2 Sl-IEETS-SHEET l 3 INVENTOR. J

Dec. 25, 1951 A. E. STEVENS 2,580,136 CIRCUIT CLOSURE FOR TEXTILE MACHINES, ETC Filed March 1, 1948 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 Patented Dec. 25, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CIRCUIT CLOSURE FOR TEXTILE MACHINES, ETC.

1 Claim.

My invention relates to stop motion operators, signals and the like and has particular reference to such as are operated upon failure of a work supply to a machine, as for instance, material being fed to a sewing machine. It is to be under- 1sitood, however, that the device has other applicaons.

In commercial shops using automatically operable, power driven sewing machines one operator will necessarily have to attend to a battery of machines. Thus, it frequently happens that the material being supplied to one machine will be exhausted before the operator realizes what is happening, or there will be occasions when torn material will reach a machine. Under either of these circumstances the sewing machine will continue to operate unless manually stopped by the operator. It is therefore the primary object of the instant invention to provide a very simple, highly efficient and automatically operable means for Stopping a sewing machine when the material supplied thereto runs out or a tear or gap appears in such material.

Additionally, I aim to provide a device for the purpose indicated which can be readily installed in operative position clear of the table or other surface upon which the sewing machine is mounted so as to leave such surface free for use of the operator and also to avoid interference with the passage of the material to be sewed.

Still another obiect of the invention is to provide a mater al supply-controlled stop motion operator or the like for sewin machines which incorporates an e ectrical circuit control switch and wherein the latter and associated working parts are enclosed so as to uard a ainst the em ssion of sparks which would be likely to i nite lint. etc., which is necessarily present in at least some quantity wherever large scale sewing is being carried on.

Additionally, the invention contemplates a device which may and preferably does embodv more than one circuit controlling unit so as to be applicable in instances where separate. laterally spaced lengths of material are being fed to separate needles of a sewing machine. An instance of this would be curtain ruille production when two ruffles are produced at the same time using adjacent needles of the same sewing machine.

The foregoing and other objects are attained by drawings and descriptive matter disclosing the now preferred example of my inventive concept.

It should be understood, however, that the ill-- vention is not limited to the particular expression disclosed herein and that various changes and modifications may be made in the illustrated example without departing from the spirit and scope of the subject matter claimed hereinafter.

In the drawings, wherein the same reference characters have been used to designate the same parts wherever they appear Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a portion of a commercial two-needle sewing machine, its supporting table and the disposition of my device in operative relationship to the machine and the two lines of curtain ruille fabric being supplied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational View of my novel unit in association with a portion of the fabric guide means and the sewing machine supporting table.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the unit detached from the sewing machine-supporting table but showing the mounting bracket which is employed for attachment of the unit;

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view looking into the mechanism compartment of one of the easing sections;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but showing the companion casing section and a portion of the supporting bracket;

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the rear or bracket-engaged end of the unit;

Fig. 8 is a sectional detail taken on the line 88 of Fig. 7 showing a feeler arm-confining element; and

Fig. 9 is a wiring diagram disclosing the circuits employed.

Referring to the drawings by reference characters and turning first to Fig. 1, numeral 18 indicates the head of a standard type of twoneedle commercial sewing machine having the laterally spaced, independently operated needles H, the threads or ends supplied to the needles being indicated by reference character l2.

In the Fig. l illustration the machine is being employed in the production of curtain ruffles and each of the needles II is having fed to it a separate length of ruffle material I 3.

As shown, the respective lengths of rufile material is are each guided to the related needle I I by means of spaced, oppositely turned and upwardly inclined book cover-like guide elements each of which comprises the inner and outer portions |5, |6, respectively. Each guide provides a material passage space M extending for a substantial distance outwardly from the adjacent hinge portions of the book cover-like guide portions l5, IS. The vertical space between the hinge portions of the pair of rufiie guides I5, I3 is indicated by reference character IT.

The respective guides l5, l6 are supported by a frame which includes the upper horizontal member I8 which is secured at its ends to the inclined upper ends 2|! of brackets whose horizontal foot portions 2| are screwed or otherwise secured to the sewin machine table or the like 23 (see 22).

Metal strips 24 will be suitably secured to the frame member is and said strips have inturned guide-confining ends 24a adapted to overlie top and bottom surface portions of the outer guideproviding portions I6.

My'fabric run out detector unit is generally indicated by numeral 35 in Fig. 1. The means for attaching it to the sewing machine support or table 23 comprises the cleat-like strip of metal 25 which is screwed to the table surface as indicated by '25 in Fig. 2. The elongated arm of an L--'bracke't 27 has a lineal slot 29 adjacent its outer end which is adapted to receive the lineally spaced machine screws 28 whose shanks take in tapped holes adjacent the outer end of the cleat 25. The upstanding foot 21a detachably carries the casing of my unit 30, as will be presently explained.

The detector unit .comprehends a two-part casing, as will be indicated byreference to Fig. 6,

and Fig. discloses the casing section 3| as being wall 34, and rear wall 35 which latter is adja-..

cent the foot portion 21. .1. of bracket 27. One side of the section 3| is open while the other is defined by the side wall 36.

The other section of the two-part casing of the unit is indicated by 31 and is shown in Fig. 4.

Said casing section 3? has the top wall 38, bottom wall 39, front wall 40, rear wall 4|, and side wall 42, which latter forms one outer side of the casing as indicated in Fig. 6.

Fig. 4 indicates that the top Wall 38 of the casing section 31 has the heavy fibre shelf-like element 43, which latter, as shown in Fig. 6, overlies and provides a shock-absorbing cover for the top wall 32 of the companion casingsection 3!. This is important because otherwise a blow on casin 35 from above might result in a short circuit.

The bracket-carried casing section 3| of Fig. 5 is illustrated as having its front wall provided with a nut 44a which is welded to the inner surface of same at a point adjacent the bottom wall 33. This nut is adapted to receive the shank of a clamp screw 44 which. when the casin sections 3|, 31are assembled, as in Fig. 6, is adapted to enter the edge slot 40a in the front wall 40 of the casing section 3.7 of Fig. 4. The inner surface of the rear wall of the bracket-carried casing section has welded thereto adjacent the top wall 32 a nut 45a which is adapted to receive the shank of the screw 45 which secures casing section 32 to the foot 21a of the bracket 21. As indicated in Fig. 4, the rear wall 4| of casing section 37 has the edge slot 4|a to receive the shank of bracket screw 45 when casing sections 3| and 31 are assembled.

Regarding the matter of attachment of bracket foot 21a to casing section 3| (Fig. 5) the bracket foot 21a has a lineal slot 46 xtending :therethrough for reception of the shank of screw 45.

It will be obvious that the provision of slot 46 in bracket foot 210. enables the unit 30 to be adjusted vertically so that the feeler elements (to be referred to later) of the unit will make proper contact with the fabric I3 which is being fed to the sewing machine needles A washer 4'! is disposed on the shank of the screw and interposed between the head of the same and the proximate face of the bracket foot 21a. This may be a spring washer so as to assure against rocking of the casing 30.

Inasmuch as the feeler arm and switch elements of each of the casing sections 3|, 3'! are identical, a description of one will suffice for both.

Fig. 6 shows that each casing section 3|, 31 has its side wall provided with an outwardly extending bearing 48 carrying a sleeve 49 which projects through said respective walls 36, 42. .The sleeves 45 are preferably soldered or otherwise made fast in bearings 48.

Journalled in each of the bearing sleeves 49 is a shaft which is of a length to extend beyond both the inner and outer ends of the related sleeve '49.

The outer end of each of the rock shafts '55 receives the bearing end 5| of a feeler arm 52 which is twisted as at 52a to provide the horizontal outer portion 525 whose terminal is weighted as indicated at 53 by means of solder or the like. A set screw 55 serves to clamp the feeler arm bearings 5| on the outer end of the related shaft 50.

Now as to the 'feeler arm-controlled switches and having reference to Figs. 4, 5 and 6, it will be noted that "the inner end of each shaft 50 has secured thereon a collar 54 which is made fast to the inner end of said shaft 50 by means of a 'set screw '55.

Secured to each collar 54 is the bight portion of 'a U-shaped bracket 56 whose outwardly extended arms 56a detachably grip the tubular body of a conventional mercury switch 5'2".

It should be noted that axial movement of each shaft 5|! is prevented by engagement of collar 54 with the inner end of the related sleeve '45 in conjunction with engagement of the arm bearing 5| with the outer end of said sleeve.

Eachmercury switch 51 is conventional, as has been indicated, and has projecting through insulation into one end of its tubular body (see Fig. 9) the electrically spaced circuit gap-defining electrodes or terminals 58. These terminals 58 have connection with the respective circuit wires 59 and 30 in the case of the switch of casing section 3| (see Fig. 5) while the corresponding wires, of the switch of easing section 3? (see Fig. 4) are indicated at 59a, 60a. In each instance the wires 59, 60 or 59a, 50a lead outwardly through a hole 6| in the side wall 36 '(or 42) of the associated casing section 3'! (or 3|). as indicated inFigs. 4 and 5.

It is deemed desirable, but not absolutely necessary, that a wire-retaining cleat 52 be secured to the inner surface of each outer casing wall (36, 42) as indicated at 53, adjacent the wire outlet hole 5| to prevent the wires 59, 55, etc., from being pulled from the associated mercury tube switch .51. Also, the wire-retaining cleats 5'2 serve to so position the wires '59, 50 as to offer a.

assume minimum of resistance to rocking of the mercury tube-carrying shafts 50.

Referring to Fig. 3, the wires 59a, 60a leading outwardly from the mercury switch 5'! of the casing section 31 are attached to the same terminal pieces 64, 65 which are secured to the free ends of the switch wires 59, '60 which lead from the mercury switch 51 of the companion casing section 3 I.

The respective terminal pieces 64, 65 are secured on binding posts 64a, 65a. The binding posts 64a, 65a are carried by the insulation material disc 66 which is secured to the side wall 36 of the casing section 3| by means of a screw or the like 61, as best shown in Fig. 2.

So long as the fabric [3 is unbroken and is being supplied to the needles H, as shown in Fig. 1, the feeler arms 52 will be maintained in the position shown in Figs. 2 and 4. This means that the drop of mercury 51a in each tube will be kept at the lower end thereof remote from the terminals 58 (see Fig. 9). Thus, the circuit to the stop motion release will be open. However, if one of the material strips I3 should run out or if a torn place should pass the feeler arm 52, the latter would drop causing the related mercury switch 5'! to move clockwise (Fig. 4) to cause the mercury 51a to close the circuit at the tubecontained contacts 58.

The stop motion release may take the form of a solenoid controlled latch 10 for retaining normally disengaged drive clutch elements in operative engagement, or 10 may be a signal.

The outer wall of each casing section has the cleat H above the subjacent feeler arm 52 so as to prevent the feeler arm from being actuated very far from contact with the fabric 13.

Also, the side wall of each casing section 31, 3'! has a keeper 12 secured thereto adjacent its rear wall 4| (or 35). This keeper 12 has an upper arm which is adapted to be bent inwardly against the adjacent outer wall of the related casing section when the associated feeler 52 is to be used so as to admit of operation of same. Each keeper 12 also has a lower arm I4 to limit clockwise movement of the adjacent feeler arm when the fabric runs out (see Fig. 2).

When only one piece of fabric I3 is being supplied to the sewing machine 10 then only one of the feeler arms 52 would be used and the other would be raised above the top arm 13 of the keeper 12 and the latter would be bent out at right angles to the adjacent side wall of the casing, as indicated in Figs. 7 and 8.

The wiring diagram, Fig. 9, shows that the circuit to the solenoid latch 10 can be closed through either of the mercury switches 51. Battery 15 has one side grounded as at 7'! while its other side is attached to binding post 64 of disc 66. The other binding post 65 of said disc 66 has leading from it the wire 18 which is in circuit with the solenoid latch 10, one side of which latter is grounded as indicated at 19. A simple battery powered circuit has been shown by way of example but other circuits are obviously available.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

A switch for the circuit of a stop motion device for a, moving web of material comprising an adjustably mountable casing, said switch casing consisting of two interfitting half sections, sleeve bushings mounted in and extending outwardly from the side walls of each half section of the casing, rock shafts mounted in said bushings, switches mounted on the inner ends of the rock shafts within the casing, web feeler arms attached to the outer ends of the rock shafts and extending outwardly past the rear face of the switch casing and adapted to extend toward the mate rial, weights on the free ends of the feeler arms tending to move the arms to switch closing position, and an L-shaped bracket having its shorter leg adjustably attached to the rear wall of the switch casing and having its longer leg extending from the rear wall of the casing and adapted to be adjustably mounted whereby the feeler arms can be adjustably positioned with respect to the material being fed.

AUSTIN E. STEVENS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,389,998 Seymour et a1 Sept. 6, 1921 1,641,658 Berglund Sept. 6, 1927 1,769,771 Cronetta July 1, 1930 1,834,430 Smith Dec. 1, 1931 1,948,634 Ross et al. Feb. 27, 1934 2,042,827 Briggs June 2, 1936 2,192,819 Smith Mar. 5, 1940 2,204,695 Pond June 18, 1940 2,274,268 Hercik Feb. 24, 1942 2,430,893 Todd Nov. 18, 1947

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