[0001] The invention relates to a device for holding a shaft end, wherein the device comprises a first bearing element and a bearing element movable relative thereto that can move between a holding position in which the shaft end is held and a release position in which the shaft end is free. The shaft end can be part of a warp beam or a cloth beam for a weaving machine.

[0002] Such a device is for example known from EP 414 291 A1 and serves to hold a shaft end of a warp beam or a cloth beam in a weaving machine so that it may be installed in the weaving machine or removed from the weaving machine without great difficulty. A disadvantage of such a device is that it comprises a relatively bulky and expensive mechanism for the movable clamping element.

[0003] An object of the invention is to form a simply constructed device of the above-mentioned type that is reliable and easy to operate.

[0004] To achieve this object the device according to the invention comprises a movable bearing element attached to a pivotably mounted arm having a running surface that is combined with a running surface of a lever that can hold the arm in the holding position.

[0005] The device can be easily operated by means of the lever that can interact with the arm. The profiled or cam-shaped running surfaces of the arm and the lever can be easily embodied in such a way that forces acting in radial direction on the shaft end cannot cause the movably mounted bearing element, together with the pivotably mounted arm, to be moved out of the holding position. Only when the lever is moved out of its holding position the arm with the movably mounted bearing element can also leave the holding position. Through the interaction between the run- ning surface of the arm and the running surface of the lever, the arm can be brought into and held in the holding position.

[0006] According to one embodiment, the running surface of the arm and the running surface of the lever that is combined with the running surface of the arm are arranged in such a way that when the lever is moved out of the holding position, the force between the lever and the arm first increases and with further movement decreases again. This means that the arm and the lever can hereby form an over-center mechanism while they are in the holding position. This is advantageous for holding the pivotably mounted bearing element in the holding position. Both the lever and the arm can hereby deform elastically during the movement from and to the holding position. As a result, an over-center mechanism is formed with the running surfaces of the arm and of the lever that allows the arm to be held in the holding position.

[0007] According to one embodiment, the arm and the lever are connected by a spring. This allows among other things the arm to follow the lever when commanded by the lever even when the running surfaces of the arm and the lever are not interacting with one another. The spring also allows to hold the arm in the holding position and allows to force the arm and the lever towards one another. The spring can hereby be installed between the lever and the arm in such a way that when the lever is moved out of the holding position, the force of the spring between the lever and the arm first increases and with further movement decreases again. This allows the arm and the lever to be pulled towards one another in the holding position, and allows that the arm and the lever may be in a so-called over-center position in the holding position by the spring . An over-center mechanism that allows the arm to be held in the holding position is thus formed with the spring.

[0008] According to one embodiment, a stop on the lever and a stop on the arm may make contact with one another in the holding position. This allows the relative positions of the arm and the lever in the holding position to be determined without the need for further elements.

[0009] According to one embodiment, the device comprises a frame to which the arm and the lever are attached by means of a corresponding pivot with the pivot for the arm and the pivot for the lever being installed parallel to the held shaft end. This is advantageous for holding the shaft end in the device.

[0010] The invention also relates to a weaving machine that comprises a device according to the invention.

[0011] Further characteristics and advantages of the invention are presented in the following description of the embodiments shown in the draw- ings.

[0012] Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a device according to the invention for a weaving machine in the holding position.

[0013] Figure 2 shows a side view along arrow F2 in figure 1 of the device in figure 1 with a shaft end held in the holding position.

[0014] Figure 3 shows a side view along arrow F3 in figure 1 of the device in figure 1 with a shaft end held in the holding position.

[0015] Figure 4 shows the side view of figure 3 in a position between the holding position and the release position.

[0016] Figure 5 shows the side view of figure 3 in the release position.

[0017] Figures 1 to 5 show a device 1 according to the invention comprising a frame 2 to which a bearing 3, also referred to as a bearing device, is attached. This frame 2 can be attached to or form part of a side section of a weaving machine. Close to the bearing 3 a support surface 4 is ar- ranged to guide a shaft end 5 to be held to the bearing 3. The shaft end 5 hereby forms the part to be held in the bearing and can be a part of a warp beam, a cloth beam or an element for a weaving machine or for a textile machine. The bearing 3 of the device 1 for holding the shaft end 5 com- prises a first stationary arranged bearing element 6 and a second movably arranged bearing element 7 that is moveable relative to the stationary installed bearing element 6. The bearing element 7 is hereby moveable between a holding position in which the shaft end 5 is held in the bearing 3, and a release position in which the shaft end 5 is free in the area of the bearing 3, this means it is not held in the bearing 3.

[0018] The bearing element 6 is installed in the frame 2 in the area of the angle between the horizontally arranged part 8 and the vertically arranged part 9 of the frame 2. The bearing element 6 can be glued, clamped, welded or fastened by another known means to the frame 2. In the embodiment shown, the bearing element 6 is essentially formed by a cylinder segment that connects with the support surface 4 substantially tangentially. This may allow the shaft end 5 to be mounted in the bearing element 6 or to be removed from the bearing element 6. The support sur- face 4 can consist of a plastic element, can be fastened by means of screw connections to the part 8 of the frame 2 and extends substantially parallel to the part 8.

[0019] The movable bearing element 7 is attached to a pivotably mounted arm 10. The arm 10 is attached to the part 9 of the frame 2 by means of a pivot 11. The pivot 11 for the arm 10 is installed parallel to the shaft end 5 to be held. On the side facing towards the movably arranged bearing element 7, the arm 10 has a running surface 12 with a profiled or cam-shaped form. The bearing element 7 may be attached to the arm 10 by means of bolt connections 13. The bolt connections 13 comprise for example a bolt that extends with certain play through a bore in the arm 10 and a bore in the bearing element 7, whereby the bolt cooperates with a nut to attach the arm 10 to the bearing element 7. The pivot 11 can be formed by a bolt 14 that extends with limited play through a bore in the arm 10 and can be screwed into a part 9 of the frame 2.

[0020] The device 1 also comprises a pivotably mounted lever 15, also referred to as holding arm. The lever 15 is connected via a pivot 16 to a collar 17 of the part 9 of the frame 2. The pivot 16 for the lever 15 is arranged parallel to the shaft end 5 to be held. The pivot 16 is hereby also installed parallel to the pivot 11 for the arm 10.

[0021] The lever 15 is provided with a running surface 18 with a profiled or cam-shaped form. The running surface 12 of the arm 10 and the running surface 18 of the lever 15 cooperate with one another and allow the arm 10 to be brought into and held in the holding position by means of the lever 15. The pivot 16 can be formed by a bolt 19 that extends with a limited play through a bore in the lever 15 and can be screwed into the part 9 of the frame 2.

[0022] The device 1 also comprises a spring 20 that may connect the arm 10 and the lever 15. The spring 20 can force the arm 10 and the lever 15 towards one another. The spring 20 may be embodied by a spring system or spring element and consists of a tension spring in the embodiment shown. The spring 20 is hereby installed between an element 21 , for example a bolt, attached to the arm 10 and an element 22, for example a bolt, attached to the lever 15. The lever 15 has a stop 23 that may interact with a stop 24 on the arm 10. The stop 23 and the stop 24 are intended to contact one another in the holding position. The relative positions of the bearing element 6 and the bearing element 7 in the holding position may be regulated by making use of the play in the bolt connections 13 with which the bearing element 7 is attached with respect to the arm 10. With a rela- tive positioning of the stops 23 and 24, the force with which the shaft end 5 is held or clamped in the bearing 3 may be set by adjusting the relative positions of the bearing element 7 and the arm 10. The stops 23, 24 also allow the shaft end 5 to be held in the bearing 3 in such a way that the shaft end 5 may be locked with a certain play and, for example, can still turn in the bearing 3.

[0023] The lever 15 comprises a lever arm 25 that in the holding posi- tion can extend substantially parallel to the support surface 4. The lever arm 25 enables an operator to move the lever 15 and the arm 10 from holding position to release position and from release position to holding position. For this purpose, the arm 10 and the lever 15 can be elastically deformable and/or mounted in an elastically deformable manner. In the embodiment shown, the surface of the stop 23 is positioned substantially perpendicularly on the lower surface of the lever arm 25.

[0024] The running surface 12 of the arm 10 and the running surface 18 of the lever 15 that cooperates with the running surface 12 of the arm 10 are arranged in such a way that when the lever 15 is moved from the holding position as shown in figure 2, the force between the lever 15 and the arm 10 first increases and with further movement decreases again. This is achieved in that the running surface 12 and the running surface 18 are hereby able to form an over-center mechanism, more particularly in that the distance along line 26 in figure 2 between the pivot 16 and the contact point 27 where the running surface 12 makes contact with the running surface 18 is larger than the tangential distance along line 28 between the pivot 16 and the running surface 12.

[0025] The spring 20 is hereby preferably arranged between the lever 15 and the arm 10 in such a way that when the lever 15 is moved out of the holding position, the force of the spring 20 between the lever 15 and the arm 10 first increases and with further movement decreases again. This is achieved in that in figure 3 the line 29 through the axis of the element 21 and the axis of the element 22, which determines the position of the spring 20, moves past the line 30 through the axis of the element 21 and the axis of the held shaft end 5 in order to reach the holding position as shown in figure 3, and in this way an over-center mechanism is formed. [0026] During the movement from the release position shown in figure 5 via the position shown in figure 4 to the holding position shown in figure 3, the running surface 12 makes contact with the running surface 18, as a result of which the arm 12 is moved to the holding position by the lever 15. During the movement of the lever 15 from the holding position via the position in figure 4 to the release position, the arm 12 is moved together with the lever 15 by means of the spring 20.

[0027] It is obvious that for holding a warp beam or a cloth beam on a weaving machine, two devices 1 according to the invention are preferably provided, each of which can hold a shaft end 5 of the warp beam or the cloth beam. According to a variant not shown, the lever arm 25 may form an angle with the support surface 4 to allow to guide a shaft end 5 between the lever arm 25 and the support surface 4 towards the bearing 3.

[0028] The arm 10 and the lever 15 may be formed, for example, by a profiled plate. The edges of such a profiled plate may hereby form a running surface 12 or 18 according to the invention. Such a plate can be manufactured, for example, by laser cutting. The manufacture of the arm 10 and the lever 15 as a plate permits a simple construction, and in particular allows a running surface to be made in a simple manner.

[0029] The device according to the invention also offers the advantage that no tools are required to open or to close the device 1. Furthermore, the device 1 mainly comprises an easily manufacturable pivotably mounted arm 10 for a bearing element 7, an easily manufacturable pivotably mounted lever 15 and a spring 20.

[0030] The device according to the invention may be applied in different types of machines, such as textile machines, in particular in any type of weaving machine or similar textile machine comprising a part designed to be held at the shaft ends such as a warp beam or a cloth beam. This may be either an airjet weaving machine, a rapier weaving machine, a water jet weaving machine, a projectile weaving machine, some other type of weav- ing machine, a beaming machine, a knitting machine or some other type of textile machine.

[0031] The device according to the invention is not limited, however, to the embodiments described as examples and shown in the figures. Within the extent of protection of the claims the device can also be performed in other variant embodiments, forms and dimensions. Combinations of the embodiments shown are also possible that fall within the extent of protection of the claims.