US2990844A - Rotatable connections for pipes or tubes - Google Patents

Description

y 1961 w. HUGHES 2,990,844

ROTATABLE CONNECTIONS FOR PIPES OR TUBES Filed May 12, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 i i /O :5: /4 5 r J 74 2/ v 7 2-. 5

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ROTATABLE CONNECTIONS FOR PIPES OR TUBES Filed May 12, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor 60% M f om s Un wd See F rm a 2,990,844 ROTATABLE CONNECTIONS FOR PIPES OR-TUBES William Hughes, Birchington, England, assignor to Weston Laundry Machine Company Limited, Fave:- sham, Kent, England, a company of Greatliritain FiledMay "12, 1958, Ser. No. 734,791

40m ns, 1 1-35547) This invention relates to a device. for connecting pipes, or tubes so. as ,to..allow one to. rotate through a limited angle about an axis. relatively to. which the other is stationary,

The device has been designed for use in a type of steam heated laundry press which is commonly built with two work-receiving tables forming a turntable which by being turned first in one direction and then in the other can cause the tables to be brought alternately beneath a press head.

According to the invention a device for connecting a tube to another tube rotatable through a limited angle about an axis fixed relatively to the first tube is composed of a length of flexible conduit which connects the two tubes together and part of which is wrapped round a first member coaxial with the axis of rotation so as to be wound or unwound thereon by the rotative movement, the variable length of slack conduit thus produced being looped round a second member which is movable towards and away from the axis of rotation so that the slack is taken up. Advantageously the movement of the second member is controlled by a mechanism which constrains the pulley to move at a rate adjusted so as to take up the spare conduit as it unwinds from the first member.

The following is a more detailed description of one example of the application of the invention to a laundry press of the type above referred to, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a general view illustrating a known type of laundry press to which the instant device has been applied,

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation drawn to a larger scale of a device according to the invention,

FIGURE 3 is a sectional plan of the device, taken on the line Il1III, FIG. 2, and

FIGURE 4 is a side elevation of the device taken at right-angles to FIGURE 2, looking from the left of FIG. 3.

FIGURE 1 illustrates a steam heated laundry press of a well-known type, having two work-receiving tables 1 and 2 forming a turntable attached to a spindle 3 which, by being turned through an angle of 180 first in one direction and then in the other, can cause the tables to be brought alternately beneath a press head 4. This press has pipes or tubes 9 and 10 for the flow and return of steam to the turntables 1 and 2 which must be rotatable through an angle of 180 about the axis of spindle 3.

In the device shown in FIGURES 2, 3 and 4 of the drawings, two lengths of flexible conduit 5 and 6 are used and are connected at one end to fixed flow and return steam pipes 7 and 8 and at the other end to flow and return steam pipes 9 and 10 which are carried by the turntable and rotate therewith, being used for supplying steam to heat the tables 1 and 2. The pipes or tubes 9 and 10 are thus rotatable about an axis fixed relatively to the pipes or tubes 7 and 8. The junctions between the conduits 5 and 6 and the pipes 7 and 8 are carried by a block 11 attached to the fixed base of the machine, whereas the junctions between the conduits 5 and 6 and the pipes 9 and 10 are carried by a block 12 fixed to a member 13 which is attached to and rotates with the spindle 3. The member 13 is in efiect a double pulley wheel since it has two grooves 14 for receiving the flexible conduits 5 and 6. However the grooves 14 do not fia emsd 1 1 961.

extend completely round this pulley-wheelbut are interruptedby affiotch 15 into which the block 12 is fixed and by'a notch 16 which accommodates the joints 17 between the conduits 5 and 6 and the pipes 9 and 10. The other ends of the conduits 5 and 6am joined to the pipes Tand 8 by'joints 18.

Each length of flexible pipe 5 and 6, starting from the joints 17 is passed first round the pulley-wheel men ber I13 and then rounfd a'second pulley-wheel" 1 9 having grooves 20 corresponding to the grooves 14. The wheel 119 is 'rotatably mounted on a carriage 21 rigidly attached to a toothed rack- 22 'slidably niounted illjlllxfl'g l lfglg 22a sothat the pulley-wheel 1 9 i s movable towardsor away from the axis of rotation of the spindle 3 by a sliding movement of the rack 22 in its guides 2201. The carriage 21 is additionally supported by a 'wheel 23 which runs on a flat surface or track 23a provided for it on the fixed base of the machine. The rack 22 meshes with a pinion 24 which is fixed to the spindle 3 so as to rotate therewith.

The pitch diameter of the pinion 24 is equal to half the eflective diameter of the pulley-wheel member 13. The rack and pinion mechanism therefore causes the carriage 21 to move towards or away from the axis of rotation of the spindle 3 at a rate equal to half the linear speed at which the conduits 5 and 6 wind onto or unwind from the member 13 as the spindle 3 rotates. The pulley 19 is thus moved at the correct speed to take up the spare conduit 5 and 6 payed out from the pulley-wheel member 13 as it unwinds therefrom during rotation of the spindle 3 in one direction and to return the conduit to the pulley member as it rewinds thereon during rotation of the turntable in the opposite direction.

It will be seen from the above description that parts of the lengths of flexible conduit 5 and 6 are wrapped round a first member 13 which is coaxial with the axis of the spindle 3 so as to be wound or unwound on that member by the rotative movement of the spindle 3-, the variable length of slack thus produced being looped round a second member constituted by the pulley wheel 19 which is movable towards or away from the axis of the spindle 3 so that the slack is taken up.

The coiling and uncoiling of the flexible conduit as it winds onto and unwinds from the first pulley enables the conduit to accommodate the rotation of the turntable first in one direction and then in the opposite direction without the application of any twist to the conduit. Moreover, the action of the second pulley in taking up spare conduit keeps the flexible conduit in a definite position and prevents the formation of a slack or loose loop.

I claim:

1. An anti-slack device comprising a first fixed tube, a second tube rotatably mounted about an axis of rotation which is fixed relatively to the first tube, comprising a length of flexible conduit which connects said first and second tubes together and part of which is wrapped round a first member coaxial with the axis of rotation so as to be wound or unwound thereon by the rotative movement of said first member, a second member, means for moving said second member towards and away from said axis of rotation the variable length of slack conduit thus produced being looped round said second member which is moveable towards and away from said axis of rotation so that the slack is taken up.

2. A device according to claim 1 including other means whereby the movement of the second member is constrained to move at the correct rate required to take up the spare conduit as it unwinds from the first member.

3. A device according to claim 2 wherein the other means consists of a toothed rack which effects the movement of the second member and is driven by a toothed v t 3 Y wheel which is constrained to rotate with the first member.

4. An anti-slack device comprising a first fixed tube, a second tube rotatably mounted about an axis of rotation which is fixed relatively to the first tube, comprising a first pulley wheel rotatable with said second-mentioned tube about said axis, a carriage movable towards or away from said axis, a second pulley wheel rotatably mounted on said carriage, a length of flexible conduit connected at one end to said first-mentioned tube and at the other end to said second mentioned tube, said length of flexible conduit being wrapped round said first pulley wheel and looped round said second pulley wheel, and means operatively connected to said carriage and said first pulley wheel for moving said carriage towards and away from said axis at a rate equal to half the linear References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,468,620 Addy Sept. 25, 1923 2,157,887 Davis May 9, 1939 2,201,954 Flygare May 21, 1940 2,896,659 Erickson July 8, 1959

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