GB1469949A - Textile fibre opening apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

1469949 Weighing out textile fibres TOYODA JIDOSHOKKI SEISAKUSHO KK 1 May 1974 [9 May 1973 (2)] 19052/74 Heading G1W A machine for opening and weighing out textile fibres comprises a weighing device 45 having a weighpan 46, a hopper 8 for the fibres, a belt 9 for lifting fibre tufts from the hopper 8 to a feed chute 27 for the weighpan, an evener cylinder 14 for preventing tufts above a certain size passing to the weighing device, a doffer 26 for stripping the fibre tufts from the belt 9 into the chute 27, means 16 for selectively reducing the gap between the belt 9 and the evener cylinder 14, means for actuating the gap reducing means in response to a predetermined intermediate weight in the weighpan and means for opening the weighpan in response to a predetermined final weight in the weighpan. Fibres are introduced into hopper 8 via belts 4, 7 and a feeler 11 acts on a limit switch (not shown) to switch off the drive to belt 4 when a predeter- mined bulk of fibres is present in hopper 8. Fibres picked up by evener cylinder 14 are stripped by roller 15 and fall into the hopper 8. Cylinder 14 is carried by a pair of arms 16 pivoted at 17 and drivable by means of a motor 19 to vary the gap between the cylinder 14 and belt 9. Motor 19 rotates threaded rods 23 which carry nut members 25 having arms 25a engaging slots 16d in the arms 16. When the predetermined intermediate weight of tufts has been deposited in the weighpan, a device 51 actuates motor 19 to reduce the gap between belt 9 and cylinder 14 until nut 25 engages a limit switch 60. When the predetermined final weight of tufts has been deposited in the weighpan a device 55 acts via a timer switch to disengage a clutch 40 to stop the drive to belt 9, to operate a mechanism 58 for opening the weighpan, and to operate a solenoid 62 to move a closure flap 28 into the chute 27. After the interval set by the timer switch, clutch 40 again drives belt 9, the weighpan closes, and flap 28 moves to the open position. During the interval, a relay alters the electrical connections to motor 19 so that it rotates in the opposite direction to widen the gap between belt 9 and cylinder 13 until nut 25 engages limit switch 61. In a modified form of the machine the speed of belt 9 may be progressively reduced to a low value in the period during which the gap between belt 9 and cylinder 14 is being reduced, or just before or after that period. In the form described with respect to Figs. 8 to 10 (not shown) the first device 51 actuates a device 71 driving the clutch 40 to reduce the speed of the belt 9 to a low value determined by a limit switch 72 in device 71. When limit switch 72 operates, motor 19 is acuated to reduce the gap between belt 9 and cylinder 14. In this embodiment, the clutch 40 may be omitted and the belt 9 driven at the low speed while the weighpan is emptied. Several machines may operate to disperse predetermined weights of different fibres to be blended on to a common conveyer Fig. 1 (not shown) feeding a spinning machine.