BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a yarn measuring device in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the yarn measuring device shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the yarn guide end of the illustrated yarn measuring device;
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary section of the illustrated yarn measuring device showing a yarn catcher thereof in a first or tuck position;
FIG. 5 is a fragmentary section, similar to FIG. 4, showing the yarn catcher in a second or measuring position;
FIG. 6 is a longitudinal section of the illustrated yarn measuring device showing an actuating member of the device in an unactuated position;
FIG. 7 is a longitudinal section, similar to FIG. 6, showing the actuating member device in an actuated position;
FIG. 8 is a schematic longitudinal section of the illustrated yarn measuring device showing a battery compartment lid removed from the handle of the device; and
FIGS. 9-11 illustrate various displays that appear on the yarn measuring device during usage.
While the invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions, certain illustrated embodiments thereof have been shown in the drawings and will be described below in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now more particularly to the drawings, there is shown an illustrative yarn measuring device 1 in accordance with the invention, which as will be understood by one skilled in the art, is adaptable for use with yarn being processed through a yarn knitting or other processing machine. The yarn measure device 1 in this case has an elongated housing formed by two housing portions 3, 4 bent an at obtuse angle with respect to each other. The longer housing portion 4 serves as a handle. On its back side, which faces the user during use, there are a display 5 and a control knob 10. On its front side, which faces away from the user, there is a displaceably or pivotably supported trip lever 6. This lever can be a housing portion or housing part in the form of a shell and, or as will become apparent hereinafter, can at the same time serve as a battery compartment lid.
On its front free end 7, the yarn measuring device 1 has a yarn catcher 8, which includes a pivotably supported lever 9. The lever 9, as depicted in FIG. 2, is disposed between two forklike legs 12, 14 of the housing portion 3, which define a passage 11. On its free end 15, the lever 9 has a yarn guide element 16, in the form of a rotatably supported yarn spool 17 whose axis of rotation 18 is oriented parallel to the pivot axis 19 of the lever 9 (FIG. 3). The yarn catcher 8 formed by the lever 9 is pivotable between two positions I, II, which are shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, respectively. The pivoting angle a is preferably somewhat less than 180°. Position I depicted in FIG. 4 is a tuck position in which an imaginary connecting line between the axis of rotation 18 and the pivot axis 19 (FIG. 3) is at approximately right angles to a yarn 21 that is to be sensed. The other position II (FIG. 5) is the measuring position in which the lever 9 rests on a stop peg 22.
A yarn guide element 23 in the form of a rotatably supported yarn spool 24 is disposed concentrically to the pivot axis 18, or in the immediate vicinity thereof, and like the yarn spool 17, it has a yarn groove. The yarn grooves of the yarn spools 17, 24, as shown in FIG. 3, are disposed in a common plane E, to which the pivot axis 19 and the axis of rotation 18 are perpendicular. The yarn spool 24 in this instance is connected to a rotation transducer 25. The rotation transducer, which may be of known type, outputs electrical signals in accordance with the rotation of the yarn spool 27. The rotation transducer 25 is connected to an appropriate processing device such as a microcomputer, having, for example, a printed circuit board 26, as depicted in FIGS. 6 and 7. The processing device 26 is connected with the display 5, which can be used for equipment setup, operation, and display of measured values.
As shown in FIG. 5, between the yarn guide element 23 and the yarn guide element 16 when in the measuring position, there is a yarn applicator element 27 in the form of a pin 28 that extends approximately parallel to the pivot axis 19 (FIG. 3). A free end 7 the pin 28 protrudes into the passage 11, and on the other end of the pin 28 is connected to a force sensor 29. The force sensor 29 and the pin 28 form a yarn tension meter 31. This yarn tension meter is connected to the processing device and sends electrical signals to it that correspond to the yarn tension detected. As shown in FIG. 5, the pin 28 is disposed above a tangent that connects the yarn spool 24 with the yarn spool 17 so that the yarn 21 traveling through travels over the pin 28 at an obtuse angle. The precise size of this angle is defined by the position of the stop peg 22. The lever 9 is formed with a funnel-shaped cutout 32, which when the lever 9 is pivoted into the measuring position is located above the pin 28 without touching it.
Pivotable movement of the lever 9 is effected by actuation of the trip lever 6, which in this sense forms an actuating member. An associated actuating mechanism 33 connects the trip lever 6 to the lever 9, as depicted in FIGS. 6 and 7. The illustrated actuating mechanism 33 includes a gear wheel 34, which is connected to the lever 9 in a manner fixed against relative rotation and meshes with a rack 35 that is supported axially displaceably in the housing 2. The other end the rack 35 meshes with a gear wheel 36 that is rotatably supported in the housing 2. The gear wheel 36 meshes with a rotatably supported gear wheel 37, which has a lever 38 fixedly secured thereto. This lever 38 has a hook-shaped end 39 which in a deactivated position, has a luglike extension 41 that engages an opening 42 of the lever 6. The trip lever, which is constructed in shell form, has a peg or similar protrusion extending laterally away from one end for pivotable support in a sliding-block guide 43. The opening 42 is oriented approximately radially to the pivot axis thus defined by the sliding-block guide 43, which axis is approximately perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 6. The lever 38 is disposed such that the protrusion 41 moves out of the opening 42 when the lever 6 is pressed into the housing 2. During such movement, a front wall 44 presses against the lever 38, even if the protrusion 41 has moved out of the opening 42. In such position, the trip lever 6 preferably forms an obtuse angle with the lever 38. A tension spring 45 in this case pre-stresses the rack 35 in a selected longitudinal direction such that the lever 9 is biased toward its tuck position I.
The trip lever 6 preferably may form a battery compartment lid. In the illustrated embodiment it spans a battery compartment 46 located beneath it, in which one or more batteries 47, 48 are disposed for supplying power to the processing device. The batteries can be supported by the printed circuit board 26. The printed circuit board has an additional switch that activates the processing device. The actuating mechanism 33 in this case has a certain amount of play or elasticity, which makes further depression of the trip lever 6 possible for activating the switch 49, once the lever 9 has reached its measuring position II.
The yarn measuring device 1 described thus far functions as follows:
The yarn measuring device 1 is switched on when pressure is exerted on the control knob 10 as will be understood by a person skilled in the art. Alternatively or in addition, the yarn measuring device 1 be switched on by actuation of the trip lever 6. The yarn measuring device is automatically switched off once a waiting period has elapsed without further actuation, or alternatively by holding the control knob down longer. The display 5 is shown in FIG. 9 at the top left with all the display options. By twisting and/or pressing on the control knob 10 (depending on the embodiment), the three fundamental operating modes of measurement (MEASURE), storage and memory (MEM) and setup (SETUP) can be selected. The menu used for the measurement is shown in FIG. 9 in the left-hand column, line 2. If it is activated, the measurement of the rotary machine speed, yarn length, yarn tension, and yarn speed can be selected. Line 2 in FIG. 9 illustrates various displays, for instance for average rpm or current rpm (third and fourth columns). The first line, conversely, shows various setups (SETUP), for instance for the unit selected (m/min, m, yd/min, or inch).
Similarly, the measurement of the yarn length can be selected in various operating modes (FIG. 9, third line, second column, through fifth line, first column). The menus and displays on the display 5 for the yarn tension can be seen in FIG. 9, fifth line, second column, through FIG. 10, third line, second column. The other displays pertain to the yarn speed.
Once the desired measurement mode has been selected, the yarn measuring device is brought to the yarn, as shown in FIG. 4, until the yarn spool 17 engages the yarn 21 from behind. If the trip lever 6 is now actuated, the lever 9 pivots out of its tuck position I into its measuring position II, as shown in FIG. 5. In the process, the lever 9 presses against the stop peg 22 and thus assumes a defined position. In that position, the yarn 21 travels over the pin 28, and a force corresponding to the yarn tension is recorded at the force sensor 29. This force is converted by the processing device into a yarn tension value and shown on the display 5; see FIGS. 9 or 10. Depending on the selection chosen, the average tension, peak tension, rated tension, deviation from the rated tension, or the like can be displayed.
The actual measurement is activated when the control lever 6 is pressed firmly into the housing 2, once the lever 9 has reached its measuring position II. The control lever 6 then actuates the switch 49 for performing the measurement. In its previous position, in which the lever 9 has already reached the stop peg 22 but the switch 49 is not yet actuated, the control lever 6 can be stopped if needed by means of an appropriate slide or the like.
The printed circuit board 26, or the processing device disposed on it, can be provided, as shown FIGS. 6 and 7, with an interface 51 in the form of a plug socket, provided on the lower end of the housing 2, or in the form of a wireless radio path. The interface 51 serves to carry signals (data) in and out. Such signals or data can represent the machine speed of a knitting machine connected to it or similar external data that are taken into account by the processing device. This makes it possible for instance to display the machine speed, as shown in FIG. 9, column 2, line 2 through column 1, line 3. Also, because external data are made available, it becomes possible to calculate and display pertinent variables, such as the yarn length per machine revolution (FIG. 9, column 2, line 3). Also via the interface 51, data can be sent onward as needed to some external device. This can be of value particularly when many yarns in succession must be scanned and monitored with the yarn measuring device 1.
Changing the batteries 47, 48 is effected as follows:
If the battery compartment 46 is to be opened, the trip lever 6 is pressed into the housing 2. In the process, the protrusion 41 moves out of the opening 42 so that there is no longer any locking or other positive engagement between the trip lever 6 and the lever 38. The trip lever 6 that forms the battery compartment lid cannot fall off, however, because it is firmly held by the fingers of the user, who must hold the trip lever 6 against the force of the tension spring 45. For removing the battery compartment lid, the lever 9 is now held, for instance, by hand in its measuring position, while the trip lever 6 is released. Because the lever 38 stays in its deflected position, visible in FIG. 7, the lid can now be freely removed. This can be seen from FIG. 8.
The battery compartment lid is installed in reverse order. The lever 9 is shifted to the measuring position II, after which the trip lever 6 can be inserted into the opening in the battery compartment. If the lever 9 is released, the lever 38 catches on the trip lever 6 and in turn keeps the trip lever in place.
From the foregoing, it can be seen that the yarn measuring device 1 of the invention is a hand-operated measuring instrument, with a yarn catcher 8 which, when a trip lever 6 is tripped, places the yarn over a yarn applicator element 27 of a force sensor 29. The yarn tension detected, like the yarn speed detected, is delivered to a processing device for display and further processing. The device makes one-handed operation possible. The boomerang-shaped housing 2 is embodied on one end as a handle, on which a trip lever, a control knob 10 in the form of a knob/pushbutton, and a display 5 are all disposed. The control knob 10 can be twisted and depressed by the user's thumb so that full operation, that is, the selection of all the measurement and operating modes, can be done with only the thumb. The measurement is performed by means of the trip lever 6, which actuates both the yarn catcher 8 and a measurement activation switch 49.
Patent Application
20080022544
