Title of Invention: Driver roller, in particular for drive belts of a thread supply device on a textile machine
Abstract: A driving roller with an outer working periphery having a changeable diameter has a first disk and a second disk arranged coaxially with one another and returnable relative to one another in any operational condition, the first disk being provided with a plurality of radial guides, the second disk being provided with at least one spiral-shaped guide, a plurality of supporting bodies which for abutment of segments provided for the drive belts have a first element cooperating with the radial drives and a second element cooperating with the at least one spiral shaped guide and are supported with these elements so that by a relative turning of the disks an increase or a reduction of the diameter of the working periphery is provided, the radial guides being formed by guiding slots extending through the first disk, the first element being composed of guiding members which are slidingly guided in the guiding slots, the guiding members at both sides of the first disk being provided with guiding webs which laterally extend over the guiding slots
Detailed Description: Part PAC: DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Part PAR: The round knitting machine shown in FIG. 1 has a frame with a base plate 2 and a needle cylinder 3 which is rotatably supported on it. A grating 4 for thread coils 5 is mounted near the frame 1. The threads 6 are withdrawn from it and supplied in a direction of the arrow into the knitting needles supported in the needle cylinder 3.
Part PAR_2: A thread supply device is supported on the frame 1 by supports 7 and/or a supporting ring 8 which is supported by them. The thread supply device includes a tubular support portion 9 which is mounted on the base plate 2. A shaft 10 is rotatably supported in the support portion 9 and extends with its both ends outwardly of the tubular support portion. A toothed gear 11 is mounted on the lower end of the shaft 10 in FIG. 1. It is connected drivingly through a toothed gear 12 with the tooth gear 14 which is arranged on a drive shaft 15. The drive shaft is supported in the round knitting machine in a not shown manner and is driven with a preselected transmission ratio synchronously with the needle cylinder 3. Moreover, the thread supply device includes a drive roller 16 which is mounted on the other end of the shaft 10 and shown in FIG. 2. An endless drive belt 17 lies on its periphery along a preselected embracing angle. It moreover abuts at least partially on the periphery of the plurality of supply rollers 18 which are supported rotatably on the support 7 or in the supporting ring 8. Not shown thread lugs are associated with the supply rollers 18. In a known manner they serve for guiding threads 6 so that they surround the supply roller 18 many times or lie between the periphery of each associated supply roller 18 and the drive band 17 and thereby are guided positively or forcedly in the direction of the arrow.
Part PAR_3: Thread supply devices of this type and their operation are generally known and should not be explained in detail. They are disclosed for example in the patent documents DE-PS1 143 294, DE 39 31 997 A1, or EP 0 285 828 A1.
Part PAR_4: As can be seen from FIG. 2 the drive belt 17 which runs over the drive roller 16 can be held tensioned by a preferably automatically tensioning device. The tensioning device can be for example a movably supported tensioning roller 19 which is under the action of a force, in particular under the action of a tensioning spring 20 engaging it or a weight acting on it. Therefore during a diameter change of the drive roller 16 the drive belt 17 is automatically compensated.
Part PAR_5: In order to change the effective diameter of the portion of the drive roller 16 which is surrounded by the drive belt 17, it has a first disk 21 which is shown in FIG. 3 and connected by a fitting spring or the like non rotatably with the shaft 10. The second disk 22 is arranged under the disk 21 at a distance from it as shown in FIG. 3. It is rotatable relative to the first disk 21. The first disk 21 has grooves 23 provided on an outer surface facing the second disk 22 and extending radially to the shaft 10. In contrast, the second disk 22 has at least one spirally extending groove 24 which is provided on the outer surface facing the first disk 21. Supporting bodies 25 are arranged between both disks 21 and 22. They form the periphery or the peripheral surface of the drive roller 16 and serve for abutment of the drive belt 17. The efficient diameter of the periphery of the drive roller 16 can be thereby changed. In particular the pins 26 or 27, projections and the like can be displaced radially outwardly or inwardly relative to one another in the supporting body 25 supported in the grooves 23, 24 by relative turning of the both disks 21 and 22.
Part PAR_6: Drive rollers 16 of this type which are frequently identified as regulating disks and whose functions are generally known, for example from the German patent document DE-PS1 286 680 and 28 46 279, should no longer be explained in detail. For avoiding of repetition, the both above mentioned patent documents as well as DE-PS1 143 294, DE 39 31 997 A1 and EP 0 285 828 A1 are incorporated here as reference.
Part PAR_7: An exemplary adjusting device 31 for the drive roller 16 has a stationary, cup-shaped housing 32 shown in FIG. 3. It has preferably a cylindrical cross-section, is open at one end, and transits at an opposite end into a sleeve-shaped projection which in FIG. 1 shows a tubular supporting portion 9 for rotatably supporting the shaft 10. The housing 32 at the end-side edge which has an open end, supports the second disk 22 in a form of a cover. For this purpose it is provided for example for a cylindrical recess 33 which receives the edge. The first disk 21 is arranged at the side of the second disk 22 which faces away from the housing 32 and is coaxial to it. Moreover, the shaft 10 on the one hand is supported freely rotatably in the second disk 22, and on the other hand is connected non displaceably and non rotatably with the first disk 21. The adjusting device 31 in the shown in example includes a summing or differential transmission which is formed as a bevel gear transmission.
Part PAR_8: A transmission toothed gear 38 has two coaxial toothed gears 38a and 38b which are conical and open to opposite sides. A first bevel-shaped toothed gear 39 is associated with a tooth gear 38a, and a corresponding bevel shaped second tooth gear 40 is associated with a tooth gear 38b. A tooth gear 39 is fixedly connected with the shaft 10 and a tooth gear 40 is fixedly connected with the second disk 22. The transmission tooth gear 38 is releasably arranged on the shaft 10. Moreover, the first toothed gear 39 and the transmission tooth gear 38 or its toothed gear 38a are in operative connection through a third bevel-shaped tooth gear 41, and the second tooth gear 40 and the transmission tooth gear 38 or its tooth gear 38b are inoperative connection through a bevel-shaped intermediate gear 42. The third tooth gear 41 is supported eccentrically to the shaft 10 and by means of a bearing pin 43 on an arm 44, which projects radially of a component 45. The component 45 is supported on the shaft 10 rotatably by means of a tooth gear 46 which is formed of one piece with the same, and engages with an adjusting element 47 which is formed as a tooth gear. On the other hand, the intermediate tooth gear 42 is supported rotatably by means of a bearing pin 48 which is mounted on the housing 32 rotatably and at the same time is non displaceably. The bearing pins 43, 48 are arranged substantially perpendicular to the shaft 10.
Part PAR_9: The adjusting element 47 is mounted on a bearing pin 49 which is arranged parallel to the shaft 10. It is supported either rotatably in the housing 32 or provided with a handle arranged outside of the housing 32 as shown in FIG. 3. It is formed as an output shaft of an electric motor 50 which is mounted in or on the housing 32. The electric motor is formed preferably as a reversing motor and can be operated selectively in opposite rotary directions.
Part PAR_10: The adjusting element 47 is mounted on a bearing pin 49 which extends parallel to the shaft 10. It is supported either rotatably in the housing 32 or provided with a handle arranged outside of the housing 32 as shown in FIG. 3 as an output shaft of an electric motor 50 mounted in or on the housing 32. The electric motor 50 can be formed as a reversible motor which can be selectively driven in opposite rotary directions.
Part PAR_11: The coaxially arranged tooth gear 38a, 38b, 39 and 40 in the shown embodiment have the same diameters, rotary speeds and modules, and the toothed gears 41 and 42 are identical. When during the operation of the round knitting machine the shaft 10 and thereby also the disk 21 are driven with a rotary speed provided from the drive shaft 15 shown in FIG. 1 and simultaneously the toothed gear 46 is immovable, then the tooth gear 40 is driven through the transmission toothed gear 38 and the intermediate tooth gears 41, 42 in the same rotary direction and with the same rotary speed. In other words, the diameter of the drive roller 16 remains unchanged. A change of the diameter can be performed independently from the operational condition of the round knitting machine, in particular both when the shaft 10 is immovable or rotatable, by turning on of the electric motor 50. When the shaft 10 is immovable, the toothed gear 41 performs a circulating or planetary movement about the movable tooth gear 39, and thereby the second disk 22 is rotated in one or the other rotary direction relative to the first disk 21 In contrast when the shaft 10 rotates, the rotary speed which is supplied from the circulating movement of the toothed gear 41 is superposed with the rotary speed of the transmission toothed gear 38 determined by the rotation of the toothed gear 39. When the electric motor 50 is turned off, in both cases the obtained diameter remains constant during a further course. Moreover, in both cases a change of diameter of the drive roller 16 is actuated from the rotary direction and turning-on time of the electric motor 50.
Part PAR_12: Further details of the adjusting device 31 can be obtained from non published patent application P 197 33 266.8 of the same applicant, which in order to avoid repetitions is incorporated here by reference.
Part PAR_13: For easy adjustment of the efficient diameter, in accordance with the present invention instead of the drive roller 16, a drive roller 53 shown in FIGS. 4-6 is provided. The drive roller 53 has a first, preferably circular, plan parallel disk 54. In its center the disk is provided with a hub 55 and has a plurality of radial guides formed by guiding slots 56 extending through the thickness of the disk and preferably arranged at identical angular distances. The guiding slots preferably end shortly before the hub 55 or shortly before the periphery of the disk 54 and thereby extends substantially over the whole radial length. Furthermore, the drive roller 53 has a second, preferably also circular and plan parallel disk 57. The disk 57 is provided in a center with a hub 58 and has a spiral shaped guide formed as a circumferential guiding groove 59 extending around the hub 58 and provided in an upper, wide side facing the first disk 54. The hub 58 in the mounted condition is arranged coaxially to the hub 55. As shown in particular in FIG. 6, three such guiding grooves 59 are provided in the illustrated embodiment. They are arranged parallel to one another and extend spirally from the periphery of the disk 57 in direction toward the hub 58. In FIG. 6 they are identified by dot-dash lines at the same locations, where they cross the guiding slots 56.
Part PAR_14: In order to provide an abutment of a drive belt which corresponds to the drive belt 17 of FIG. 3, the drive roller 53 has a plurality of segments 60 each having an outer abutment surface 68 shown in FIG. 6 for the drive belt. The segment 60 is associated with each radial guiding slot 56. The segments 60 are provided on their periphery with rubber sleeves 61 which are preferably pluggable or tensioned with a certain tension. They improve the friction conditions and make possible a slip-free drive of the drive belt 17 by the drive roller 53. A first means cooperating with the radial guiding slot 56 and formed as a guiding member 62 is associated with each segment 60. It has a width substantially corresponding to the width of the guiding slot 56, a thickness D corresponding to the thickness of the disk 54, and a length L which is substantially shorter than the length of a guiding slot 56. The guiding members 62 are inserted in the associated guiding slots 56 as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 and are displaceably supported in them in a radial direction. For this purpose, they are provided with guiding webs 63 which are formed on their lower sides, extend laterally outwardly beyond them and in the guiding slots 56, and are flanged-shaped. The guiding members 62 therefore can be inserted from below into the guiding slot 56 as shown in FIG. 4, until it will abut against the guiding webs 63 on the disk 54. The guiding member 62 at the opposite right side of the disk 54 are provided with guiding webs which extend outwardly beyond the width of the guiding slot 56 and form segments 60. The segments 60 as shown in FIG. 5, are connectable from the lower side fixedly, but releasably with the guiding members 62.
Part PAR_15: The connection can be performed by mounting screws 64, from which in the shown example two screws per each guiding member 62 are shown. For this purpose each guiding member 62 has two openings 65 which are spaced in the radial direction and can be provided with depressions for the screw head. Each segment 60 has two corresponding threaded openings 66 which are spaced from one another. It is further possible to insert the guiding member 62 from below until the abutment against the guiding webs 63 in the guiding slot 56, to place the segments 60 from the opposite side on the disk 54 and then to screw the mounting screws 60 from below through the opening 65 of the guiding member 62 into the threaded openings 66 of the segments 60 and tighten them. The segments 60 and the guiding members 62 which are connected with one another represent the supporting body which replaces the supporting body 25 of FIG. 3. The different dimensions and in particular the thickness of the guiding member 62 is selected so that the disk 54 is arranged with a small gap between the guiding webs 63 and the segments 60 or the guiding members 62 are supported substantially without pivoting or clamping in the guiding slots 56.
Part PAR_16: Since the disk 54 with this construction can be relative thin, therefore for the longitudinal guidance of the guiding member 62 shown in FIG. 3 a high ratio of the length to thickness or high ratio L/D is provided, which is substantially greater than 1.5 or preferably greater than 6.0. Thereby, when the drive belts abut against the abutment surfaces 68 in FIG. 6 with a tension, no undesirable high friction or clamping forces are produced. As a result, the guiding member 62 and thereby also the segments 60 can be displaced always with a low force. The length L can be relatively small so that with a given diameter, the disk 54, 57 provides a relatively greater adjustment region for the segments 60 in a radial direction.
Part PAR_17: For automatic adjustment of the segments 60 or the supporting body formed by it, they are provided with means formed as guiding pins 67 extending in the spiral shaped guiding groove 59. The guiding pin 67 extends for example in the openings 68, 69 which are formed in the guiding members 62 and the segments 60 and are oriented coaxially in the mounting condition shown in FIG. 5. Each segment is provided with two such guiding pins 67. The arrangement in the shown example of FIG. 5 is selected so that the second disk 57 is arranged at the side of the guiding members 62 which faces away from the segment 60 and the guiding pin 67 extends outwardly beyond the lower wide sides of the guiding members 62 in FIG. 5.
Part PAR_18: The distance from the first disk 57 to the second disk 54, in contrast to conventional drive roller construction, is substantially unimportant for the guidance of the guiding members 62 in the guiding slots 56. For a favorable lever arm for the guiding pins 67, the thickness of the guiding webs 63 is relatively small and the distance of the second disk 57 from the first disk 54 is correspondingly small.
Part PAR_19: A cover disk 70 is arranged at the wide side of the segment 60 facing away from the first disk 54. Its diameter preferably corresponds to the diameter of the disk 54 and permits an upwardly closed arrangement for the drive roller 53 shown in FIG. 5, so that the drive belt placed around the abutment surface 68 of the segment 60 shown in FIG. 6 is guided and held between the disk 54 and the cover disk 70. The distance of the cover disk 70 from the upper wide side of the segment 6 in FIG. 5 is not critical since the cover disk 70 does not serve for tensioning the segment 60 between it and one of the disks 54, 57. The distance is preferably maintained small for preventing penetration of lint or dust into the drive roller 53.
Part PAR_20: The connection of the individual parts is shown in particular in FIGS. 4 and 5. A stepped shaft 71, which for example corresponds to the shaft 10 in FIG. 3 and is rotatably supported about an axis 72, has a cylindrical portion 71 a with a diameter which substantially corresponds to the inner diameter of the hub 58 of the disk 57 and is rotatably arranged in it. The disk 57 is supported for example rotatably, as the disk 22 of FIG. 3, on the upper side of a transmission housing.
Part PAR_21: The shaft 71 has a further support 71b which is also cylindrical and has a reduced diameter. A portion 71b adjoins the portion 71a and forms with it an abutment shoulder 71c. The hub 55 of the disk 54 is placed on the portion 71b until it abuts against the abutment shoulder 71c shown in FIG. 5. The axial length of the portion 71b is insignificantly smaller than the axial length of the hub 55.
Part PAR_22: The hub 55 has an outer threaded portion 55a on its upper end. It has a reduced diameter and forms with the remaining hub 55 an abutment shoulder 55b. The outer threaded portion 55a serves for placing the cover disk 70 provided with a corresponding central opening 73, until it abuts against the abutment shoulder 55b. A threaded ring 74 provided with an inner thread for screwing. The abutment shoulder 55b determines a distance of the lower side of the cover disk 70 from the upper wide side of the disk 54 which substantially exceeds the thickness of the segment 60. Finally, a nut 76 can be screwed on an outer threaded portion 71d of the shaft 71 after placing of a washer 75. The outer threaded portion 71d adjoins the portion 71b and extends in the mounted condition beyond a threaded ring 74. The washer 75 shown in FIG. 5 is located on the upper end side of the portion 55a and therefore at a suitable axial distance from the threaded ring 74.
Part PAR_23: The parts 54, 60, 61, 62, 70, 71, 74, 75 and 76 can be premounted as a complete assembly, before the portion 71a of the shaft 71 is plugged in the hub 58 of the disk 57 and is connected with it. For this purpose the portion 71b is provided at an end extending for example downwardly from the hub 58 in FIGS. 4 and 5 with a collar formed for abutment of the hub 58 or with a transverse pin engaging under the hub 58, or the like for holding the same rotatably on the shaft 71. Moreover, the hub 58 has an abutment shoulder 55a located above the disk 57. It is located substantially higher than the guiding web 63 and serves for abutment of the hub 55. Thereby, both these disks 54, 57 are automatically held at the proper distance.
Part PAR_24: The portion 71b of the shaft 71 and the hub 55 can be provided with conventional wedges or grooves. They serve for non-rotatable wedge/groove connection on the shaft 71.
Part PAR_25: As shown in particular in FIG. 6, the segments 60 on a plan view have preferably a trapezoidal or triangular shape. Therefore all segments 60 can be fitted on the hub 55 when the smallest diameter of the drive roller 53 is desired. For example, FIG. 6 shows additional two segments 60 in broken lines. Moreover, FIG. 6 also shows that the mounting screws 64 and the guiding pins 67, as considered in a radial direction; can be or must be arranged at different locations, in order to guarantee with the arrangement of the guiding pins 67 in the same spiral-shaped guiding groove 59, that all abutment surfaces 60a of the segments 60 border preferably against an imaginary, generally cylindrical peripheral surface for all drive belts. In FIG. 6 four different arrangements for the mounting screws 64 and the guiding pins 67 are provided, as shown for the segments 60.sub.1, 60.sub.2, 60.sub.3, 60.sub.4, and can be realized by different hole patterns in the guiding members 62 and the segments 60. Along the periphery of the guiding roller 52, three sets of four segments are provided. Alternatively, each set can have more or less than four segments 60 with different hole patterns.
Part PAR_26: The invention is not limited to the shown embodiment which can be modified in many ways. in particular, it is possible to arrange the disk 57 removably and the disk 54 rotatably on the shaft 71. Furthermore, the spiral shaped guides can be formed as throughgoing slots. Alternatively, it is possible to provide the disk 57 with spiral-shaped circumferential, raised projecting guiding webs, which engage in guiding grooves and the like provided on the segments 60 of the guiding members 62. Moreover, the guiding members can be formed of two parts and provided on both sides of the disk 54 with formed guiding webs 63. In this case the segments 60 are connected with the guiding members 62 but do not contribute to their guidance.
Part PAR_27: Furthermore, it is possible that the guiding pins 67, in deviation from FIGS. 4-6, extend upwardly from the segments 60 and the second disk 57 is arranged where in FIGS. 4 and 5 the cover disk 7 is arranged. Also other constructions are possible as well. This is also true for the adjusting device 31 of FIG. 3, which can be replaced by one or the other adjusting device disclosed in the German patent document DE 39 31 997 A1. Alternatively, an adjusting device can be provided without a transmission of FIG. 3 or the like which makes possible only a manual adjustment of the reflective diameter of the driving roller. Moreover, the invention is not limited to the utilization of the driving roller for the thread supply devices for round knitting machines, and not in particular to positive furnishing, friction furnishing or band furnishing or the like, but instead can be used generally where driving rollers with adjustable diameters are needed. Finally, the novel features of the invention can be used only in other combinations which are not shown and described.
Part PAR_28: It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the types described above.
Part PAR_29: While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a drive roller, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.
Part PAR_30: Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention.
Part PAR_31: What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims:


{'bibliographic_information': "{'Patent Number': '062965859', 'Series Code': '9', 'Application Number': '2859696', 'Application Type': '1', 'Art unit': '362', 'Application Filing Date': '19990401', 'Title of Invention': 'Driver roller, in particular for drive belts of a thread supply device on a textile machine', 'Issue Date': '20011002', 'Number of Claims': '13', 'Exemplary Claim Number(s)': '1', 'Assistant Examiner': 'Charles; Marcus', 'Primary Examiner': 'Bucci; David A.', 'Number of Drawing Sheets': '5', 'Number of figures': '6'}", 'source_file': './grant/2001/pftaps20011002_wk40.txt', 'source_data': 'USPTO-Grant'}