Pneumatic yarn knotter mechanism

Claim 2

A pneumatic yarn knotter mechanism for use alone and especially for use on a yarn processing machine, such as a twister, spinning frame or the like, for knotting together broken or otherwise separated ends of yarn being processed thereby and being characterized by a purely pneumatic knot tying operation which eliminates moving parts acting directly on the yarns; said yarn knotter mechanism comprising: a frame; a pair of knot tying housings carried by said frame in longitudinally-spaced, mirror-image relation to each other and having inside faces facing each other and outside faces facing away from each other; an injector nozzle means formed in and extending longitudinally through each of said housings to define opposing, longitudinally-extending, axially-offset, parallel, yarn passageways from said housing outside faces to said inside faces, said nozzle means each including a thin, radially and longitudinally-extending slot therethrough, each of said nozzle means including means for supplying air under pressure thereto for creating opposing air streams therethrough from said housing outside faces to said inside faces, whereby yarn ends positioned at said housing outside faces will be sucked in and carried through said nozzle passageways and impinged upon said opposite housing inside faces; recessed, open-sided, curved, continuous, knot tying, guide surfaces formed on said housing inside faces around said nozzle means and each defining an interlooped, yarn passageway on each of said housing inside faces having an entrance and an exit and being generally in the shape of a loosely tied knot loop and being positioned for receiving at said entrance thereof the yarn end and air stream from said opposite housing nozzle and passing the yarn end and air stream around the other yarn end being carried through the same housing nozzle and out of said exit thereof for the tying of a knot of each of said yarn ends around the other of said yarn ends; and suction conduit means contained in said frame and opening adjacent said exits of said knot tying passageways for receiving and sucking in the loose ends of yarn from said exits after the knot tying operation and for pulling the loosely tied knot and yarn out of said knot tying housings through the open sides of said guide surfaces and through said slots in said nozzle means and for tightening the tied knot.

Claim 3

A pneumatic yarn knotter mechanism, as set forth in claim 1, in which said passageways formed by said knot tying guiDe surfaces on said housing inside faces are generally in the shape of opposed sides of a loosely tied fisherman''s knot for the tying of a fisherman''s knot by said knotter mechanism.

Claim 4

A pneumatic yarn knotter mechanism, as set forth in claim 1, in which said knotter mechanism further includes cutter means operatively associated with said suction conduit means and positioned for cutting off the loose ends of yarn extending from the tied knot into said suction conduit means for removal by said suction conduit means.

Claim 5

A pneumatic yarn knotter mechanism, as set forth in claim 3, in which said cutter means comprises driven cutter blades, mounting means pivotally carrying said driven cutter blades for pivotal movement between an inoperative position out of cutting alignment with the loose ends of yarn extending from the tied knot and an operative position in cutting alignment with the loose ends extending from the tied knot for cutting of the loose ends, and means connected with said mounting means for movement thereof between the inoperative and operative positions.

Claim 6

A pneumatic yarn knotter mechanism as set forth in claim 1, in which said suction conduit means comprises a pair of elongate, thin, yarn end receiving slots having entrances adjacent and aligned with said exits of said knot tying passageways and extending toward each other and toward a generally medial portion of said suction conduit and terminating at exits for receiving and sucking in at said entrances the respective loose yarn ends extending from the loosely tied knots as they are expelled from said exits of said knot tying passageways and for passing these loose yarn ends along said slots toward the medial portion of said suction conduit and to said exits thereof, a pair of injector nozzle means formed in said suction conduit means and spaced apart from each other at said exits of said slots and having longitudinally-extending slits on each side thereof in communication with said exits of said slots for receiving the loose yarn ends extending from the tied knots as they are passed down said slots and including means supplying air under pressure therethrough for propelling these loose yarn ends into said suction conduit, and a knot guide bow secured to the outside surface of said suction conduit and positioned between said injector nozzles therein and extending outwardly from said suction conduit for receiving and guiding the tied knot and allowing the loose ends extending therefrom to be propelled by said injector nozzles into said suction conduit around and on each side of said knot guide bow.

Claim 7

A pneumatic yarn knotter mechanism, as set forth in claim 5, in which said means supplying air under pressure to said suction conduit injector nozzle means comprises means for intermittently supplying air under pressure in a pulsating manner for aiding in the tightening of the tied knot by exerting a pulsating pressure on the loose yarn ends extending from the tied knot.

Claim 8

A pneumatic yarn knotter mechanism, as set forth in claim 1, in which said pneumatic yarn knotter mechanism further includes funnel means connected to said outside faces of said knot tying housings in longitudinal alignment with said injector nozzle means therein for receiving the yarn ends to be tied and guiding them into said injector nozzle means, each of said funnel means including a longitudinally-extending, thin slit therein for removal of the yarn therethrough upon completion of the knot tying operation.

Claim 9

A pneumatic yarn knotter mechanism for use alone and especially for use in a yarn processing machine, such as a twister, spinning frame or the like, for knotting together broken or otherwise separated ends of yarn being processed thereby and being characterized by a purely pneumatic knot tying operation which eliminates moving parts acting directly on the yarns; said yarn knotter mechanism comprising: a housing; a pair of knot tying housings carried by said frame in longitudinally-spaced, mirror-image relation to each other and having inside faces facing each other and outside faces facing away from each other; an injector nozzle means formed in and extending longitudinally through each of said housings to define opposing, longitudinally-extending, axially-offset, parallel, yarn passageways from said housing outside faces to said inside faces, said nozzle means each including a thin, radially and longitudinally-extending slot therethrough, each of said nozzle means including means for supplying air under pressure thereto for creating opposing air streams therethrough from said housing outside faces to said inside faces whereby yarn ends positioned at said housing outside faces will be sucked in and carried through said nozzle passageways and impinged upon said opposite housing inside faces; recessed, open-sided, curved, continuous, knot tying guide surfaces formed on said housing inside faces around said nozzle means and each defining an interlooped, yarn passageway on each of said housing inside faces having an entrance and an exit and being generally in the shape of opposed sides of a loosely tied fisherman''s knot and being positioned for receiving at said entrance end thereof the yarn end and air stream from said opposite housing nozzle and passing the yarn end and air stream around the other yarn end being carried through the same housing nozzle and out of said exit thereof for the tying of a fisherman''s knot; suction conduit means contained in said frame and opening adjacent said exits of said knot tying passageways for receiving and sucking in the loose ends of yarn from said exits after the knot tying operation and for pulling the loosely tied knot and yarn out of said knot tying housing through the open sides of said guide surfaces and through said slots in said nozzle means and for tightening the tied knot, said suction conduit means including a pair of injector nozzle means formed in said suction conduit means and spaced from each other for receiving respective loose yarn ends extending from the tied knots and including means for intermittently supplying air under pressure thereto in a pulsating manner for propelling these loose yarn ends into said suction conduit and for tightening the tied knot; and cutter means operatively associated with said suction conduit means and positioned for cutting off the loose ends of yarn extending from the tied bow into said suction conduit means for removal by said suction means, said cutter means comprising driven cutter blades, mounting means pivotally carrying said driven cutter blades for pivotal movement between an inoperative position out of cutting alignment with the loose ends of yarn extending from the tied knot and an operative position in cutting alignment with the loose ends extending from the tied knot for cutting off the loose ends, and means connected with said mounting means for movement thereof between the inoperative and operative positions.

Claim 10

A pneumatic yarn knotter mechanism for use alone and especially for use in a yarn processing machine, such as a twister, spinning frame or the like, for knotting together broken or otherwise separated ends of yarn being processed thereby and being characterized by a purely pneumatic knot tying operation which eliminates moving parts acting directly on the yarns; said yarn knotter mechanism comprising: a housing; a pair of knot tying housings carried by said frame in longitudinally-spaced, mirror-image relation to each other and having inside faces facing each other and outside faces facing away from each other; an injector nozzle means formed in and extending longitudinally through each of said housings to define opposing, longitudinally-extending, axially-offset, parallel, yarn passageways from said housing outside faces to said inside faces, said nozzle means each including a thin, radially and longitudinally-extending slot therethrough, each of said nozzle means including means for supplying air under pressure thereto for creating opposing air streams therethrough from said housing outside faces to said inside faces whereby yarn ends positioned at said housing outside faces will be sucked in and carried through said nozzle passageways and impinged upon said opposite housing inside faces; recessed, open-sided, curved, continuous, knot tying guide surfaces formed on said housing inside faces around said nozzle means and each defining an interlooped, yarn passageway on each of said housing inside faces having an entrance and an exit and being generally in the shape of opposed sides of a loosely tied fisherman''s knot and being positioned for receiving at said entrance end thereof the yarn end and air stream from said opposite housing nozzle and passing the yarn end and air stream around the other yarn end being carried through the same housing nozzle and out of said exit thereof for the tying of a fisherman''s knot; suction conduit means contained in said frame and opening adjacent said exits of said knot tying passageways for receiving and sucking in the loose ends of yarn from said exits after the knot tying operation and for pulling the loosely tied knot and yarn out of said knot tying housing through the open sides of said guide surfaces and through said slots in said nozzle means and for tightening the tied knot, said suction conduit means including a pair of injector nozzle means formed in said suction conduit means and spaced from each other for receiving respective loose yarn ends extending from the tied knots and including means for intermittently supplying air under pressure thereto in a pulsating manner for propelling these loose yarn ends into said suction conduit and for tightening the tied knot; and cutter means operatively associated with said suction conduit means and positioned for cutting off the loose ends of yarn extending from the tied bow into said suction conduit means for removal by said suction means, said cutter means comprising driven cutter blades, mounting means pivotally carrying said driven cutter blades for pivotal movement between an inoperative position out of cutting alignment with the loose ends of yarn extending from the tied knot and an operative position in cutting alignment with the loose ends extending from the tied knot for cutting off the loose ends, and means connected with said mounting means for movement thereof between the inoperative and operative positions.

Claim 11

A pneumatic yarn knotter mechanism, as set forth in claim 8, in which said knotter mechanism further includes control means operatively connected with said means for supplying air to said nozzle means in said knot tying housings, with said means for intermittently supplying air to said nozzle means of said suction conduit means, and with said means for moving said cutter blades between the inoperative and operative position thereof for sequentially (1) starting the supply of air to said injector nozzle means in said knot tying housings for the knot tying operation, (2) for sensing loose ends of yarn extending from the tied knot after the knot tying operation and stopping the supply of air to said injector nozzles in said knot tying housings to allow easy removal of the yarn therefrom after the knot tying operation, (3) alternately and intermittently supplying air to said injector nozzle means in said suction conduit means for creating a pulsating action on said loose yarn endS extending into said suction conduit means for tightening the tied knot, and (4) actuating said means connected with said mounting means carrying said cutter blades for moving said cutter blades to the operative position thereof for cutting off the loose yarn ends.

Claim 12

A pneumatic yarn knotter mechanism, as set forth in claim 9, in which said control means includes photoelectric cell means positioned in said suction conduit means for sensing the presence of loose yarn ends therein indicating completion of the knot tying operation for initiating the sequential operation of said control means.