US2724561A - Control device for strand feed - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 22, 1955 K. H. ANDREN CONTROL DEVICE FOR STRAND FEED Filed April 19, 1951 ///Z/ all 1 IIVVl-NI'OR K. H AND/Pf 2,724,561 FPatented Nov. 22, 1955 CONTROL -DEVICE FGRSTRAND FEED Karl'.H.-.-Audren; Greenfield, Wis.,-assignr, by mesne asesignments, toWestem Electric Company, incorporated,

Newlyork, N. Y a corporation .of New York Application-Apr'il 19, 1951; Serial No.-22l,912

7: Claims. i{Cl.-.24237) Thisinvention relates-to. a 'wire feed control device and more; particularly to a'controldevice actuated in response'to. a kinksorknot inthe-Wire or in response to thede'pleu'on of the supply of wire to stop the feed of the wire.

It is. an object of.the present invention to provide a simple control .devicefor use with a wire feeding mechanism'for stopping Jtheffeedoffthe wire in response to the presence of a knot 01'' kink in the wire.

"It is the further object of'the present invention to provide a control device'for use-with. a wire feeding mechanism for stoppingjfeedof the 'wire in response. tothe depletion of 'fthesupplyfioi wire. In accordance with onelembodiment of. the invention .as applied to a wire 'fedingmebhanism, there is provided a movable frjp pmemberhaving' an aperturefitherein i'for freely passing oiily'aistriht wireithe're'through and hav -ing'acam recess'therin'for receiving an arm of a switch connected to a control circuitof the. drive mechanism for advancing the wire. "The arm'of theswitch is' biased into the recess bffthe meriibert'o' yieldably-maintain Ithe member'in'its norm'alpo'sitibn. arid! is moved outwardly -by movement of'the memberbya knot or kink in the wire to actuate 'the'f switbhaiid 'stop the feed of the wire. A. ,guide member mounted for movementinto engagementwith'the tripmember is yieldably held in a normal position in spaced relation to said trip memberand serves -to change the-direction of movement of the wire from the supply'of wire on'a reel to which the end of the-wire is secured. 'When 'the supplyof wire on the reel .has been usedup, the p ull ofthe-wire. against the end secured to the reel willcauseflthe guide member to move into and actuate 'the tripmember to open the switch and stop the wire feed.

Other. objects and advantages of .the invention will become apparent by referencev tofthe. following-detailed description-Z thereof .antLthe. accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention, in which "Eigfilis a'diagrammatic viewrot the wire feed control mechanism;

'Fig.'2' is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through thewire Ifee'd. control Lclevicenaiidtav reel for holding a v.supplyof wireandl's'howing the feed control devicein its nonniil position;

Eig.l3..is an-..enlarged.sectional view.- of..a .portion .of .thenfeetL control device shown r -in Fig. -.2 and. .with parts .thereof.showninchangedyposition; and

Fig. 4 is a frontrelevatiorml wiewof; the feed-control t-device.

Referringrdonthe :tdrawingsndhere is 1 shown a.- supply reel: mnonswhichzis' wound a: supply of: wire: 11, zone s end :r12rof which .is. seeured to thelreel; *as by 'passing it through :an; aperture-:13 xin'iheraeeluand' having .a' :knot formed LOB cthenend rthereof. :fl heaeeli'ltl is supported. .on a .tubular support-tor ireel holderflfi secured to austationaryi frame :zmember l6;uvhieh:fonns a:part eta suitable framework :zfor tsupporting the control device. 'l'he head 5:18 of a 3 tubular rclampingrtmember :19, which is --telescopically mounted'zwithin the? support 15 and-securedto the frame -by.-a :thumbrscrewr20gengages and-clamps the reel'against rmovementa-orrutherre'el holder15. The wirell, asitis withdrawn from;the; supply, is guided aboutthe reel by atubular:guide:or-.flier:25: supported by. bracketsi26"-26 on arod 27 rotatably supported in the tubular member 19. The rod 27 is yieldably retained in the member 19 .by .a spring-28 :disposedbetween shoulders formed on .;the.. member I19.=and .the'rod 27.

.The: end 30'of:.the:-guide.25 is positioned substantially on the axis'ofthereel 10. and guides the wire for movezment outwardly fromthe .reelon the axis thereof intoengagement with. a guide" roller 31 rotatably mounted for rotation on a pln'32; which is fixed to amovable U-shaped member-or slide 34, andserves .to rotatably support the guide roller 31 for movement with'the slide. The member 34'.is':slidably:mountedin guideways 36 formed in a pair of spaced members '37 of a guide member 38, which is securedrto'and supportedfrom a plate 39. The plate '39,'-in turn, isattachedito .an angle iron frame member Athwhichi is connected to and supported by the frame -;mernber 16 in'a'suitable manner. A spring 45 secured to the slide 34 and Ethe lower end of the guide member 38 tends to pull the carrier 34 andthe guide roller '31 down- -wardlyttotheirnormal position, shown in Figs. 2 and 4, where thezzs'lide 34 lengages an abutment in the lower :portion ofzthe guideways 36. The wire 11 passes around --:.the.;guide.-roller- 31'and is directedthrough an aperture 47 .in a :trip member 48and .into engagement with a suitable means for feeding oradvancing the wire, which, as illustrated in Fig. 1, comprises a pair of feed rollers :52.

The. tripwmember- 48, which has a cylindrical contour, is mounted forxvertical movement in a bore-54 of a boss or'bracket 55 f0rmed on a"-housing member 56, which .is securedto the frame' member 40 and supported in fixed position thereby. A shoulder or"fiange57 formed on the upper end of the trip-member 43 engages the upper edge of the'bra'cket 55 to support the trip member'48' in a normal position, indicated in Fig. 2. An annular groove or recess 58-forming cam surfaces on the trip member '48, is 'adapted-toreceive a roller 59 mounted on the arm 60 of a'switch 62, which issupported by and within thehousingSG. 'The;arm'-60 istensioned for-movement into'thc cam'recess"58-and serves to yieldably hold the trip member lfl in its normalposition. The bore 470i the trip member 48 is of a size which-Will freely'pass straighbportions'of the wire 10 'therethrough,"but which will engage'an'd restraitrthe movement-of a deformed portion of the wire; as, for example, a portion of'the wire having a kink or a knottherein. Thus, in the. event a kinlcor knot is formed in the wire and engages the, trip member48-as the wire is, being fed, 'it will impart .move- .ment to the trip member which,..in turn,..will .eam .the arm 60 outwardlyand actuatethe switchfilto. effect-the stopping=of..the :wirefeed.

..One.of: the-feed. rolls 52 (Fig. l).-is conneeted-to..and rotated by .am-elect-rio motor; conueetednthrougheuit- .;able..conduetorsv66: and a-:-set.-.of contacts 567 .zto-spower lines 68 andl69. :flhe contactsz67.areiactuated by arelay 70;.iwhichr1'sroormected .byia. suitable: conductorin-series and cause it to actuate the switch 62 to open position and render the wire feed inoperative.

A member 77 secured-to the upper portion of the carrier member 34 has an upwardly extending narrow finger 78 disposed in alignment with the trip member 48 and with the end portion thereof spaced a predetermined distance from the member 48. In response to upward movement of the guide roller 31, the finger 78 is caused to engage the trip member 48 and move it upwardly to actuate the switch 62 and effect the stopping of the wire drive. When the supply of wire 11 has been exhausted, the wire will be drawn taut from the end portion 12 thereof, which is secured to the reel, and the wire, as it passes from the end 30 of the tubular guide 25, will move the roller 31, the slide 34 and the finger 78 upwardly therewith to cause the finger 78 to engage and move the trip member 48, thereby actuating the switch 62 to stop the wire feed. Thus, with the above-described construction of control mechanism, the wire feed is rendered inoperative stopping the feeding of the wire in the event a kink or knot is formed in the wire or in response to the depletion of the supply of wire. In either case, the member 48 is moved upwardly to actuate the switch 62 and render the feeding device inoperable. The switch 62 manually remains open until the member 48 is reset to its normal position after the condition causing its upward movement has been remedied.

It is to be understood that the above-described arrangements are simply illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention. Numerous other arrangements may be readily devised by those skilled in the art which will embody the principles of the invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

l. A device of the type described comprising feed means for advancing a strand including a switch disposed adjacent the path of travel of said strand for rendering said feed means inoperable in response to actuation of said switch, means for supporting a supply of strand with one end thereof secured against feeding movement, a trip member having an aperture therein for guiding therethrough a strand free of knots and for preventing the passage of a portion of the strand having a knot therein, means for supporting said trip member adjacent said switch for movement with said strand by a knot therein to actuate said switch, guide means engageable with said strand from said supply for changing the path of movement thereof from one direction to another direction and into the aperture in said trip member, means mounting said guide means for movement into engagement with said trip member to actuate said member, and means yieldably retaining said guide means in a normal position in spaced relation and adjacent to said trip member.

2. A feed control device for use with a wire feeding mechanism having a control circuit comprising a trip member having an aperture therein for receiving a wire as it is being advanced by said feeding mechanism, said aperture being of a size to freely pass a straight wire therethrough but to restrain a wire having a kink or knot therein, means supporting said trip member in a normal position and for movement with said wire, a cam on said member, an element stressed for movement against said cam for yieldably retaining said member in said normal position and movable outwardly by the movement of said trip member from said normal position by a knot in said wire, a switch connected to the control circuit of said wire feeding mechanism for rendering the wire feeding mechanism inoperative in response to the outward movement of said element, means for supporting a supply of wire with the end of the wire secured against feeding movement, guide means for receiving said wire from said supply in one direction and guiding said wire in a predetermined path in another direction, means guiding said guide means for movement along said predetermined path from a first position into engagement with said trip member, and means yieldably retaining said guide means in said first position, said guide means being movable to actuate said trip member in response to the movement of the wire when the wire has reached the end of its supply for rendering said feed mechanism inoperable.

3. A feed control device for use with a strand feeding mechanism having a switch disposed adjacent the path of travel of said strand and actuatable to render the feeding mechanism inoperable comprising a bushing having an aperture for passing a strand free of knots therethrough and for preventing the passage of a portion of the strand having a knot therein, means for supporting the bushing adjacent the switch and for movement with said strand by a knot in the strand, a cam surface on said bushing engageable with said switch for actuating said switch in response to movement of said bushing, means for supporting a supply of strand with one end thereof secured against feeding movement, a guide roller engageable with the strand from said supply for changing the path of movement thereof from one direction to another, a carrier for rotatably supporting said roller and having a portion thereof engageable with said bushing, and means yieldably supporting said carrier in a normal position with said portion in spaced relation to said bushing and for movement with said strand to move said bushing in response to the exhaustion of the supply of strand.

4. A feed control device comprising feed means for withdrawing a strand from a supply thereof, means including an element disposed adjacent the path of travel of said strand for rendering said feed means inoperable in response to movement of said element, means stationarily mounted in relation to said feed means for supporting a supply of strand with one end thereof secured against feeding movement, guide means engageable with said strand as it is being withdrawn from said supply in a first direction for changing the path of movement thereof from said first direction to a second direction disposed transversely of said first direction, means mounting said guide means for movement toward said element, said guide means being moved into engagement with said element by said strand to actuate said element in response to the exhaustion of the supply of strand and the shortening of the strand between said feed means and said one end of said strand, and means yieldably retaining said guide means in a normal position in spaced relation and adjacent to said element.

5. In a strand feeding device, the combination of stationary means for supporting a reel of strand, feed means for withdrawing said strand from said reel, guide means having a first position engageable with the strand at a point thereon intermediate said reel and said feed means for guiding the strand from the reel to the feed means through a path greater in length than that from the reel directly to said feed means and for maintaining a sub- .stantially constant predetermined length of strand between said feed means and said reel as the strand is being withdrawn therefrom, means mounting said guide means for movement from said first position to a second position in response to the shortening of said predetermined length of strand between said reel and said feed means, resilient means for yieldably maintaining said guide means in said first position, and means operable in response to movement of said guide means to said second position for rendering said feed means inoperable.

6. In a strand feeding device, the combination of stationary means for supporting a supply of strand with one end secured against feeding movement, feed means for withdrawing said strand from said supply, guide means having a normal first position engageable with the strand at a point thereon intermediate said supply and said feed means for guiding the strand from the supply to the feed means through a path greater in length than that from the supply directly to said feed means and for maintaining a substantially constant predetermined length of strand between said supply and said feed means as said strand is being fed, means mounting said guide means for movement in a predetermined path from said first position in response to the exhaustion of said supply of strand and the shortening of said predetermined length of strand between said supply and said feed means, resilient means for moving said guide means to and yieldably maintaining it in said first position, and means including an element mounted in the path of said guide means and actuatable thereby in response to movement of said guide means from said first position for rendering said feed means inoperable.

7. In a strand feeding device the combination of means for supporting a supply of strand with one end thereof secured against feeding movement, feed means for withdrawing the strand from said supply, guide means engageable with said strand at a point intermediate the supply and the feed means for changing the direction of movement thereof between the supply and the feed means and for maintaining a substantially constant predetermined length of strand therebetween, means mounting said guide means for movement in a predetermined path from a normal position in response to the shortening of said predetermined length of strand between said supply and said feed means, resilient means for yieldably maintaining said guide means in said normal position, and means including an element disposed in the path of said guide and actuatable thereby in response to the shortening of said predetermined length of strand for rendering said feed means inoperable.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 616,137 Perret Dec. 20, 1898 1,289,160 Gudebrod Dec. 31, 1918 1,895,244 Meyer-Gaus et al. Jan. 24, 1933 1,958,060 McKean May 8, 1934 2,134,017 Alderman Oct. 25, 1938 2,328,344 Jones Aug. 31, 1943 2,426,051 Reiber Aug. 19, 1947 2,434,864 Powell Jan. 20, 1948 2,453,900 Gardiner et a1. Nov. 16, 1948. 2,596,536 Dale May 13, 1952

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