Braiding-machine.

(Application filed July 14, 1900..

<img file="US681998A_D0001.tif" />

THE NORHIS PETERS CO.. PH^TO-UTHO., WASHINGTON. D. C.

Patented Sept. 3, 1901.

No. 681,998.

J. P. SWIFT.

BRAIDING MACHINE.

<img file="US681998A_D0002.tif" />

THE NOSRtS PETEHS CO , ΡΗΟΓΟ-Ι.ΙΤΗΟ.. WASHINGTON, Q. C.

No. 681,998. Patented Sept. 3, 1901.

J. P. SWIFT. BRAIDING MACHINE. (Application filed July 14, 1900.) (No Model.) 6 Sheets—Sheet 3.

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THE MORRIS PETERS CO.. PHOTO-t.lTHO.. WASHINGTON. O. C.

No. 681,998. Patented Sept. 3, 1901.

J. P. SWIFT. BRAIDING MACHINE. (Application filed July 14, 1900. >

(No Model.) e.Sheets—Sheet 4.

<img file="US681998A_D0004.tif" />

THE NORRIS PETER-j CO., PHQTO-LITHO, WASHINGTON. D. C.

No. 681.998.

Patented Sept. 3, 1901.

J. P. SWIFT.

BRAIDING MACHINE.

(Application filed July 14, 19OO.j (No Model.)

Sheets—Sheet 5.

<img file="US681998A_D0005.tif" />

THE NORRIS PETERS CO . PHOTO-LITHO.. WASHINGTON. t>. C.

No. 681,998.

Patented Sept. 3, 1901.

J. P. SWIFT.

BRAIDING MACHINE.

(Application filed July 14, 1900.) (No Model.)

Sheets—Sheet 6.

<img file="US681998A_D0006.tif" />

THE NORRIS PETERS CO. PHOTO-LITHO.. WASHINGTON, 0. C.

United States Patent Office.

JOHN P. SWIFT, OF PAWTUCKET, RHODE ISLAND.

BRAIDING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 681,998, dated. September 3, 1901.

Application filed July 14,1900. Serial No. 23,687, (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, John P. Swift, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Pawtucket, county of Providence, 5 and State of Rhode. Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Braiding-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in io braiding-machines in which the carriers are transmitted about the machine by means of electromagnets operating in conjunction with each other or in conjunction with fixed electromagnets.

One object of my invention is to provide a braiding-machine in which revolving heads support electromagnets arranged in series about a common center, which magnets by successive magnetization and demagnetiza20 tion seize and transmit the carriers with their spools from one series of magnets to another, said carriers constituting the armatures of the magnets.

Another object of my invention is to pro25 vide an automatic stop device in a braidingmachine by which in case of any failure in the current charging the magnets or in case of the breaking of a thread or the exhausting of the supply upon the spools a clutch by 30 which the entire mechanism of the machine is operated will be released, thus stopping the machine.

These various purposes are accomplished by the mechanism shown in the aecompany35 ing drawings, in which—

Figure 1 is a plan view of the entire machine viewed from above; Fig. 2, the same with a portion of the bed-plate broken away, showing the commutators and the driving40 gear; Fig. 3, an elevation of a single head with its commutators, driving - gear, and spools; Fig. 4, a detail drawing showing a part of the tension mechanism; Figs. 5 and 6, detailed views of the transmitting heads and 45 commutators on an enlarged scale. Fig.'7 is an elevation of the entire machine. Fig. 8 is an enlarged perspective of two of the groups of electromagnets, spool-carriers, and spools. Fig. 9 is a perspective of a portion 50 of the machine to better illustrate the stoplever and its electromagnet R'; and Fig. 10 is an enlarged inverted plan of three of the commutators, their brushes, and operatinggears.

In Fig. 1, B B represent the bed-plate of 55 the entire machine, approximately in the form of a circle. Equidistant from the center of the bed-plate are arranged the heads 0' p 0' p, &amp;c., each consisting of a group of four electromagnets arranged at regular intervals about 60 the center of the head.

n is the pulley by which power is transmitted to the machine.

i is a clutch which connects the shaft n' with the pulley n. 65

R R represent a raised ring of metal, integral or fixed upon the bed-plate of the machine, and upon a flange projecting upward from R R rests the toothed ring r r r', &amp;c. (Shown in section more distinctly in Fig. 3.) 70 This toothed ring revolves easily upon the projecting flange of R R, its travel, however, being limited by the pin a, set in the bed B B.

w' w' are portions of the spool-carrier, explained more fully hereinafter. 75

D is an electrical conductor shunted from the main conductor E', Fig. 7, and after passing around and forming the electromagnet R' terminates in a bare metallic band o, Fig. 1, insulated, however, from the bed of the ma- 80 chine B B. The electromagnets upon the heads terminate in the poles ρρ',ρρ',ρρ', &amp;c., (seen best in Fig. 3,) and each group of magnets is fixed upon and revolves with the vertical spindles S' S'. These spindles are 85 supported by a hollow standard S, which is bolted or otherwise suitably fixed to the bed of the machine.

The spindles S' S', &amp;c., are fixed to the various gears g g g, &amp;c., arranged in a circle 90 just below the bed B, as shown in the plan view in Fig. 2. The gears g g are in mesh with each other and are driven by the bevel-, gear V, (seen in Figs. 7 and 9,) which is fixed upon the shaft connected with the clutch i, 95 said shaft and bevel-gear driving the entire machine. There is also an auxiliary gear x' in mesh with one of the gears below the bed of the machine, as seen at the right in Figs.

and 2. This gear is fixed upon the vertical 100 shaft terminated by a handle D', and upon this shaft is fixed the worm x, which with the gears g' g and shaft s' operate the draft-rolls Z. (Seen best in Fig. 7.) The direction of

681,998 the gears and the electromagnets p p', p p', p p', &amp;c., is shown by the arrows in Figs. 1 and 2.

The clutch i in Fig. 7 is provided with a 5 yoke k, integral with the lever M, which lever is pivoted at f and terminates in the handle m'.

R' in Fig. 7 is an electromagnet having its poles projecting downwardly, so that the leio ver M, being flattened where it meets said poles, forms an armature therefor, and when a current is passing through the magnet the lever M after being raised, as shown in the figure, is retained in position by the magnet 15 R', and the clutch i then connects the shaft with the driving-pulley n. So long as the current passes through the magnet R' the handle m' remains in position and the machine continues in operation. Attached to 20 the lever M is a weight which serves the instant the current is broken to pull the handle m' downward, thus releasing the clutch i by means of the yoke k, and the whole mechanism stops.

Fig. 3 shows one of the revolving heads with the carriers and spools in position. In this figure m m m are electromagnets, each independent of the other and mounted upon the plate L, secured at the top by the circular plate or washer o'. These magnets are provided with pole-pieces p p', p p', p p', &amp;c., and, as shown in the present drawings, four magnets constitute a group arranged equidistant about the plate L. The pole-pieces

P P'> P P'y P P'y &^c· > ^are milled out with semicircular depressions, (shown best in Fig. 5 and also in Fig. 1,) so as to accommodate the carrier k, which carries the spool b. The number of magnets in each group may be 40 varied, however, to suit varying requirements in the product. The armature forming shank k of the carrier, Fig. 3, is hollow and has fixed near its upper extremity the circular washer or flange w and at its lower extremity the 45 flange w', to which is attached the tensionarm H, provided with upper and lower apertures h, h. Below the plate w’ the holder terminates in a hollow cylindrical spindle, upon which the bobbin b easily revolves.

.50 The thread which forms the braid goes from the bobbin b through the perforation h in the arm II, thence down through lower perforation h, and upward again through the hollow spindle and shank k, and thence out at the 55 top, as shown at y y, whence it goes to the center to form the braid. The upper head of the spool b is furnished with projecting pins 1t, Fig. 4, which operate with the member II to control the rotation of the spools. These 60 pins 11 are in the present instance four in number, attached at equal distances about the head of the bobbin or spool b. The number of these pins, however, may be changed to suit conditions. As the thread is drawn 65 from the bobbin by the draft-rolls the pull upon the bobbin operates in two ways—first, it serves to keep the bobbin suspended and out of contact with the arms r r, &amp;c., and, second, it causes the bobbin to revolve upon the spindle. As the bobbin revolves the 70 pins 11 strike the side of arm II and the bobbin rises until the pins 11 reach and pass over the top of the beveled face s, formed on the inner face of the arm II at the upper end thereof, and the spool falls again until the 75 succeeding pin t again strikes the side of arm II, when the same thing occurs as before. The weight of the bobbin thus bearing continuously upon the thread gives to the tension the necessary steadiness, and the pins 80 1t, bearing against arms IT, prevent the toofree feeding of the thread, thus serving to render the tension regular. In Fig. 4 is seen a top view of the bobbin b, with the pins 11 and the beveled face s. The current supply- 85 ing the magnets m m, &amp;a., enters through the main conductor E', Fig. 7, by the post c and brush-holder u', Fig. 3, and thence through the brush u to the commutator C. This commutator is divided into segments which may 90 be varied in number in accordance with the kind of braid desired. The post c and brushholder u' are insulated from the bed of the machine B by suitable insulating material c. g is the driving-gear operating the spindle 95 on which is mounted the head carrying the magnets m m, &amp;c. . The return-wires from the magnets connect with the plate· L, Fig. 3, by the screws e' e', &amp;c., and the . current thus passes back through the machine itself, 100 which is the return-conductor, to the exit E.

Fig. 5 shows the arrangement of the magnets and carriers upon the plate L and also the bobbins in position to produce what is known to the trade as “plain braid,” while 105 Fig. 6 shows the plan of the brushes and commutators and the connections for the electric current. In Fig. 5 are seen the arms r r of the automatic stopping mechanism and the pin a, which controls its travel. It will be no seen by Fig. 5 that the plates L L, carrying the pole-piecespp', p p', &amp;c., are so mounted with reference to each other about the bed B of the machine that as the various heads revolve with their magnets the cylindrical de- 115 pressions in the poles come opposite each other in adjacent series, so as to accommodate the shank k of the bobbin-carrier. The cylindrical depressions in the poles p p' are made in their present shape for convenience 120 merely. A rectangular or other form of depression might, however, be utilized, if need be, the essential element being that the depression shall be of such a shape as to fit the shank k of the bobbin-carrier and have ap- 125 proximately the same cross-section as said shank k. In Fig. 6, C C represent the commutators divided into segments, being in the present machine four in number, u u u are the brushes furnishing the current to the 130 commutators through the post c and brushholders u', which are in electrical contact with the metallic strips d d d, which serve to carry the current around the entire machine.

681,998 S (The method of opei’ating my machine is as follows: A current of electricity is passed through the conductor E', the post c, and brush-holder u' and the various strips and 5 brushes cZ cZ cZ, uuu, &amp;c., to the commutators of the various magnets. It will readily be seen that if the current was passed continuously through any single magnet of a series and the armature forming shank k of the io bobbin-carrier placed in the depression in the poles p p' and no bobbin-carrier placed in the adjacent series the plate L, with the magnets and bobbins, would revolve continuously, the bobbins remaining in place. By the oper15 ation of the commutators, however, the current is changed in such a manner that as a bobbin-carrier in one group reaches a point nearly opposite the depression in the pole pp' of the adjacent group the current of the mag20 net supporting the carrier in the first group is cut off. The current in the adjacent group is at the same instant turned onto the magnet whose poles are approaching the shank of the carrier thus released, and as the mag25 net of the first group releases the carrier the magnet of the second group seizes it, and the carrier and spool are thus transmitted from one head to another in any desired course, according to the arrangement of the commu30 tators and the kind of braid to be made. The course of the bobbins in the present instance is seen best in Figs. 1 and 2, where the arrows represent the directions of revolution of the various series.

In the style of machine shown in the present drawings only two magnets are charged at the same time in any one head, and the course of the bobbins is such that the thread from each bobbin passes over two and under 40 two other threads, forming what is called “plain braid.” Thenumberof bobbins, however, in a group and the number of magnets, or the combination of the two, may be varied at will, so as to form any style or kind of braid 45 desired.

The automatic stopping arrangement operating through the clutch i and the toothed ring τ τ τ', &amp;c., (seen in Figs. 1, 3, and 5,) is as follows: The spools b are kept suspended 50 by the tension upon the thread y y, as shown in Fig. 3. Should it happen, however, that a thread should break or that the supply of thread upon the bobbin should become exhausted, then the bobbin b immediately drops 55 upon its spindle, as shown by the dotted lines b, Fig. 3. As it drops it is borne along in its course by the revolution of the head and engages the projecting tooth r of the toothed ring τ r τ', &amp;c. The toothed ring at once 60 commences to revolve, pushed by the bobbin, until the tooth τ' of Fig. 1 becomes separated from the conductor 0. The current supplying the magnet R', Fig. 7, is thus broken. The handle m', with the lever M, at once 65 drops, disengaging the clutch i from the driving-pulley n, and the machine stops and remains stopped until the handle m' is again raised and the tooth τ' of the ring τ τ τ' brought in contact with the conductor 0. The machine may also bestopped by hand by means 70 of a handle which is fixed upon the ring r τ τ' and projects outwardly beyond the bed B of the machine. This handle is shown in dotted lines by s', Fig. 1.

From the foregoing description it will be 75 seen that in case of the exhausting of thread upon a spool or in case of the breaking of a thread and the consequent stopping of the machine it will not be necessary to keep the machine idle until the bobbin can be again 80 threaded; but spare carriers with their bobbins mounted and threaded ready for insertion into the head may be kept on hand, and all that will be necessary in case of the stopping of the machine from the causes men- 85 tioned will be to remove the bobbin and carrier and insert a new carrier with a full bobbin, when the machine maybe again started and the bobbin then removed maybe threaded or replaced by a full one at the leisure of the 90 operator.

As hereinbefore stated, it is not essential to my invention that all the electromagnets should be movable, as shown in the braidingmachine above described. For some pur- 95 poses it may be necessary to use one or more movable electromagnets in conjunction with one or more fixed electromagnets. Thus one or more movable electromagnets may operate to transmit an armature from one fixed mag- 100 net to another in a prescribed course or alternately to and from one fixed magnet. I desire also to state that although the present drawings show an arrangement for the production of plain tubular braid only any kind 105 or style of braid may be manufactured by my machine by a simple adjustment of the commutators, such adjustment determining whether the armature shall be carried through a portion or the whole of a revolution of any no given head, and thus delivered either to the next head in course or back to the head from which it was received.