Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6311376
-
Patent Number
6,311,376
-
Date Filed
Monday, February 7, 200024 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, November 6, 200122 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
- Schwegman, Lundberg, Woessner & Kluth, P.A.
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 028 271
- 028 272
- 028 273
- 028 274
- 028 275
- 028 276
- 028 254
- 057 279
- 057 280
- 057 289
- 057 350
- 057 333
- 057 908
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A relatively compact air jet is provided having a base and an operating part which is mounted on the base to rotate relative thereto to expose a yarn channel for threading. A straight air inlet through the base communicates with the yarn channel and has a valve member disposed within it. A connecting pin moved by a cam surface in the operating part acts on the valve member to open the air inlet when the operating part is in the operating position, but allows the air pressure on the valve member to close air inlet when the operating part is rotated to the threading position.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to air jets as used in the textile industry for the purpose of intermingling filaments, twisting, texturing and combining textile yarns. Such jets usually have a channel running through the body of the jet through which the yarn or yarns travel to be subjected to the effect of a transversely directed jet of air.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
One of the problems associated with air jets of this type is that of threading the yarn or yarns through the yarn channel in the jet body. The original methods of threading using a needle or weight attached to the yarn were very time consuming and are not acceptable for modem high speed yarn processing machines. There are many jet designs which incorporate a threading slot communicating with the yarn channel over the length of the jet body, but such slots can impair the air flow in the yarn channel, create a tendency for the yarns to migrate into the slot, thereby preventing correct processing of the yarn, or even allow the yarn to escape from the jet. To avoid such problems, various arrangements have been devised for opening the jet to expose the yarn channel for access from the outside of the jet for yarn threading purposes and then for closing the jet to commence yarn processing. In one known type of jet, the yarn channel is in a central part of the jet body which is arranged to slide laterally relative to upper and lower parts, thereby exposing the channel and simultaneously closing the air inlet to the sliding central part to stop the flow of air into the yarn channel. This involves one surface sliding under pressure across a seal, which leads to rapid wear of the seal. Furthermore, the pivoted lever mechanism used to produce the sliding motion puts considerable stresses on the parts and in consequence is also prone to wear. Therefore, such an arrangement leads to high maintenance costs. In addition, this type of jet is very bulky and space for air jets in textile machines is restricted. Another type of opening air jet involves an upper part of the jet rotating relative to the lower part to expose the yarn channel in the lower part and simultaneously stop the flow of air through the lower part to the yarn channel. Such an arrangement has the serious disadvantage that the air inlet must be offset from the yarn channel in order that it can be closed by the rotated upper part when the channel is exposed for threading purposes, and in consequence during yarn processing the path of air from the inlet through the two parts of the jet to the yarn channel involves several changes of direction. This seriously reduces the air flow and its pressure when it reaches the yarn channel, thereby reducing the processing effectiveness of the air jet. Another problem is that exposing the yarn channel before the air is switched off and switching the air on whilst the yarn channel is still exposed can cause the yarn or at least some filaments to be blown out of the channel with the possibility of snagging on adjacent machine parts. In addition, maintaining satisfactory sealing of the resulting tortuous yam path through the two parts of the jet is difficult.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an air jet which avoids, or at least reduces to an appreciable extent, the disadvantages of the known air jets.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides an air jet having a base and an operating part, the base having a yarn channel therein and an air inlet communicating with the yarn channel, the operating part being movable relative to the base between an operating position in which the operating part covers the yarn channel and a threading position in which the yarn channel is exposed, comprising a valve member disposed in the air inlet and a connecting part connecting the valve member and the operating part whereby movement of the operating part between the operating position and the threading position causes the valve member to open and close the air inlet.
Preferably the axis of the air inlet intersects the longitudinal axis of the yarn channel. The axis of the air inlet may be inclined to the longitudinal direction of the yarn channel at an angle of between 70° and 90°, preferably substantially 80° in the direction of travel of a yarn through the yarn channel.
The air inlet may comprise a connecting bore and a counterbore having a larger diameter than that of the connecting bore. The connecting bore may communicate with the yarn channel and the counterbore may be adapted to receive an air supply connector. The valve member may comprise a valve head located in the counterbore and adapted to seal the air inlet at the transition from the counterbore to the connecting bore. The valve member may also comprise an arm disposed in the base so as to be movable therein, having the valve head at one end thereof. The connecting part may comprise a pin located in the base to have one end thereof in contact with the arm and the other end in contact with a cam surface provided on the operating part. The cam surface may be positioned whereby the valve member closes the air inlet prior to the operating part moving sufficiently to expose the yarn channel.
The operating part may be mounted on the base to rotate relative thereto, and may rotate about an axis which is offset from and substantially perpendicular to the yarn channel. The valve member may dose the air inlet when the operating part has rotated through 30° from the operating position, and may fully open the air inlet when the operating part has rotated to within 10° of the operating position. A stop arrangement may be provided to limit the rotation of the operating part to substantially 90°. The stop arrangement may comprise an upstanding wall on the base with which the operating part is in contact when the operating part is in the operating or threading position. One of two substantially mutually perpendicular sides of the operating part may be in contact with the wall when the operating part is in the operating or threading position. The operating part may comprise a handle portion. The operating part may be resiliently biased towards the base.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
One embodiment of the invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1
is an exploded view of an air jet in the operating configuration,
FIG. 2
is a dual sectional view of the jet in the operating configuration, and
FIG. 3
is a part sectional view of the jet in threading configuration
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to
FIG. 1
, there is shown an air jet
10
for the purpose of intermingling filaments, twisting, texturing or combining textile yarns. The air jet
10
comprises a base
11
, consisting of a base block
11
a
and a base plate
11
b
, and an operating part
12
, consisting of a handle part
12
a
and a top plate
12
b
. Base block
11
a
and handle part
12
a
may be made of aluminium alloy, brass or plastics material. Base plate
11
b
and top plate
12
b
, which in use are mutually in contact and slide relative to each other, may be made of stainless steel, carbide, alumina or ceramic material for wear resistance. A screw
13
, on which is a spring
14
, fits into a bore
15
in the handle part
12
a
to secure the parts
12
a
,
12
b
,
11
b
and
11
a
together. The spring
14
, compressed between the head of the screw
13
and the base of the bore
15
, ensures that the required pressure is maintained between the top plate
12
b
and the base plate
11
b
, whilst allowing relative movement between the operating part
12
and the base
11
.
Extending across the base plate
11
b
is a yarn channel
16
. A small bore
17
intersects the yarn channel
16
coaxially to provide an air inlet to the channel
16
, and the bore
17
is inclined to the longitudinal direction of the yarn channel
16
by an angle A to assist in forwarding the yarn through the channel
16
. The angle A may be between 0° and 20°, preferably substantially 10°. The bore
17
communicates with a connecting bore
18
in the base block
11
a
, which in turn communicates with a counterbore
19
having a larger diameter than that of the connecting bore
18
. The bores
17
,
18
and
19
are all in axial alignment with the yarn channel
16
so that the air travels along a relatively straight path through the base
11
. An air supply connector
20
is received in the counterbore
19
.
Also opening into the connecting bore
18
is a groove
21
formed in the base block
11
a
. Received in the groove
21
and the bores
18
,
19
is a valve member
22
formed with a valve head
23
and an arm
24
. The valve head
23
is disposed in the counterbore
19
and the arm
24
extends along the groove
21
. Around the valve head
23
is an O-ring seal
25
. A pin
26
is located in a bore
27
in the base plate
11
b
, the bottom of the pin
26
being in contact with the arm
24
as it extends along the groove
21
. The top of the pin
26
is either received in a recess
28
formed in the underside
29
of the top plate
12
b
or is in contact with that underside
29
, depending upon the position of the operating part
12
relative to the base
11
, as is described below.
An upstanding wall
30
is provided at the rear of the base block
11
a
to provide a stop to limit the rotational motion of the operating part
12
relative to the base
11
. Edge
31
of the top plate
12
b
is in contact with the wall
30
when the operating part
12
is in the operating configuration, and edge
32
of the top plate
12
b
is in contact with the wall
30
when the operating part
12
is in the threading configuration.
Operation of the air jet
10
will be more clearly understood by consideration of
FIGS. 2 and 3
. In
FIG. 2
, the air jet
10
is in the operating configuration. In this configuration the top plate
12
b
covers the yarn channel
16
. The underside
29
of the top plate
11
b
pushes downwardly on the pin
26
which in turn pushes downwardly on the arm
24
. This pressure causes the valve head
23
to move away from the lower end of the connecting bore
18
, thereby allowing air to pass from the air inlet connector
20
, around the valve head
23
and subsequently through the bores
18
and
17
to the yarn channel
16
.
For threading, the handle part
12
a
is rotated through 90°, about the axis of the screw
13
which is offset from and perpendicular to the yarn channel
16
, to the threading configuration shown in FIG.
3
. When this occurs, a lip
33
on the handle part
12
a
ensures that the top plate
12
b
moves with the handle part
12
a
. The yarn channel
16
is thereby exposed to allow access from outside the air jet
10
for laying the yarn or yarns into the channel
16
. At the same time, the movement of the operating part
12
allows the pin
26
to ride up an inclined cam surface
34
to be received in the recess
28
in the top plate
12
b
. The pressure of the air on the valve head
23
forces the valve member
22
to rise, so that the arm
24
pushes the pin
26
upwardly into the recess
28
. This movement of the valve member
22
brings the sealing ring
25
into sealing engagement with the transition region between the counterbore
19
and the connecting bore
18
, thereby stopping the air flow from the air inlet connector
20
to the yarn channel
16
. On returning the handle part
12
a
to the operating position shown in
FIG. 2
, the inclined cam surface
34
pushes the pin
26
and the valve member
22
downwardly again thereby opening the air gap around the valve head
23
.
The position of the cam surface
34
is such that the pin
26
rides up the cam surface
34
and reaches the bottom of the recess
28
in the top plate
12
b
within 30° of rotation of the operating part
12
from the operating position shown in FIG.
2
. This avoids the problem of the yarn being blown out of the yarn channel
16
since the channel
16
is only exposed when the valve head
23
is in contact with the lower end of the connecting bore
18
and the air is switched off. Similarly, to ensure correct operation of the air jet
10
even if the operating part
12
is not fully moved to the operating position, the pin
26
rides down the cam surface
34
onto the bottom surface
29
of the top plate
12
b
to switch the air fully on when the operating part
12
is within 10° of the operating position.
By means of the invention a relatively compact air jet is provided which has many advantages over the known air jets. Movement of the operating part does not involve sliding of one part of the jet over a seal and does not introduce significant stresses on the parts of the jet, thereby reducing the wear and maintenance of the jet. Also the path of the air through the air jet is substantially straight so that no sealing problems arise and there is no loss of air flow or pressure at the yarn channel. Other embodiments of air jet in accordance with the invention will be readily apparent to persons skilled in the art. For example, the motion of the operating part relative to the base may be linear, such as along slides, instead of rotational, without introducing the problems of the known sliding arrangement. The configuration of the valve member
22
, connecting bore
18
and counterbore
19
may differ from that described above, e.g. the connecting bore
18
may be dispensed with and valve head
23
may seal with its upper surface against the underside of the base plate
11
b
instead of the connecting bore/counterbore interface as described above. Alternatively, the connecting bore
18
may be of larger diameter than the counterbore
19
so that the air pressure opens the valve member
22
upwardly when the operating part
12
is in the operating configuration and the motion of the operating part
12
to the threading configuration closes the valve member
22
downwardly instead of the reverse arrangement described above.
Claims
- 1. An air jet having a base and an operating part, the base having a yarn channel therein and an air inlet having a sealing surface and communicating with the yarn channel, the operating part being movable relative to the base between an operating position in which the operating part covers the yarn channel and a threading position in which the yarn channel is exposed; comprising a valve member disposed in the air inlet and a connecting part connecting the valve member and the operating part whereby movement of the operating part between the operating position and the threading position causes the valve member to move into and out of contact with the sealing surface to open and close the air inlet.
- 2. An air jet according to claim 1, wherein the axis of the air inlet intersects the longitudinal axis of the yarn channel.
- 3. An air jet according to claim 2, wherein the axis of the air inlet is inclined to the longitudinal direction of the yarn channel.
- 4. An air jet according to claim 3, wherein the axis of the air inlet is inclined at an angle of between 70° and 90° to the direction of travel of a yarn through the yarn channel.
- 5. An air jet according to claim 1, wherein the air inlet comprises a connecting bore and a counterbore having a larger diameter than that of the connecting bore.
- 6. An air jet according to claim 5, wherein the connecting bore communicates with the yarn channel.
- 7. An air jet according to claim 1, wherein the operating part is mounted on the base to rotate relative thereto.
- 8. An air jet according to claim 7, wherein the valve member closes the air inlet when the operating part has rotated through substantially 30° from the operating position.
- 9. An air jet according to claim 7, wherein the valve member fully opens the air inlet when the operating part has rotated to within 10° of the operating position.
- 10. An air jet according to claim 7, wherein a stop arrangement is provided to limit the rotation of the operating part to substantially 90°.
- 11. An air jet according to claim 10, wherein the stop arrangement comprises an upstanding wall on the base with which the operating part is in contact when the operating part is in the operating or threading position.
- 12. An air jet according to claim 1, wherein the operating part is resiliently biased towards the base.
- 13. An air jet according to claim 1, wherein the operating part comprises a handle portion.
- 14. An air jet having a base and an operating part, the base having a yarn channel therein and an air inlet communicating with the yarn channel, the operating part being movable relative to the base between an operating position in which the operating part covers the yarn channel and a threading position in which the yarn channel is exposed; comprising a valve member disposed in the air inlet and a connecting part connecting the valve member and the operating part whereby movement of the operating part between the operating position and the threading position causes the valve member to open and close the air inlet, comprising a transition region between the connecting bore and the counterbore, wherein the valve member comprises a valve head located in the counterbore and adapted to seal the air inlet at the transition region, wherein the air inlet comprises a connecting bore and a counterbore having a larger diameter than that of the connecting bore.
- 15. An air jet according to claim 14, wherein the valve member comprises an arm disposed in the base so as to be movable therein.
- 16. An air jet according to claim 15, wherein the arm has ends and has a valve head at one end thereof.
- 17. An air jet according to claim 15, wherein the connecting part comprises a pin having two ends and located in the base to have one end thereof in contact with the arm and the other end in contact with a cam surface provided on the operating part.
- 18. An air jet according to claim 17, wherein the cam surface is positioned whereby the valve member closes the air inlet prior to the operating part moving sufficiently to expose the yarn channel.
- 19. An air jet having a base and an operating part, the base having a yarn channel therein and an air inlet communicating with the yarn channel, the operating part being movable relative to the base between an operating position in which the operating part covers the yarn channel and a threading position in which the yarn channel is exposed; comprising a valve member disposed in the air inlet and a connecting part connecting the valve member and the operating part whereby movement of the operating part between the operating position and the threading position causes the valve member to open and close the air inlet, wherein the operating part is mounted on the base to rotate relative thereto and wherein the operating part is mounted to rotate about an axis which is offset from and substantially perpendicular to the yarn channel.
- 20. An air jet having a base and an operating part, the base having a yarn channel therein and an air inlet communicating with the yarn channel, the operating part being movable relative to the base between an operating position in which the operating part covers the yarn channel and a threading position in which the yarn channel is exposed; comprising a valve member disposed in the air inlet and a connecting part connecting the valve member and the operating part whereby movement of the operating part between the operating position and the threading position causes the valve member to open and close the air inlet, wherein the operating part is mounted on the base to rotate relative thereto, wherein a stop arrangement is provided to limit the rotation of the operating part to substantially 90°, wherein the stop arrangement comprises an upstanding wall on the base with which the operating Dart is in contact when the operating part is in the operating or threading position, wherein the operating part has two substantially mutually perpendicular sides, one of which sides is in contact with the wall when the operating part is in the operating position and the other of which sides is in contact with the wall when the operating part is in the threading position.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
9902501 |
Feb 1999 |
GB |
|
US Referenced Citations (10)