Needle punching apparatus
United States Patent [1 1 Obenaus 5] Apr. 15, 1975 NEEDLE PUNCHING APPARATUS 3,798,717 3/1974 Brochetti a 28/4 R [75] Inventor: Helmut Obenaus, Leonding, Austria FQREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [73] Assignce: Ernst Fehrer Gesellschaft mbH &amp; 2,111,496 9/1971 Germany 28/4 R Co. K.G. Textilmaschinenfabrik u. Smhlbauq Linl, Austria Primary E.taminerLouis K. Rimrodt [22] Filed: 4, 1974 Auorney, Agent, or Firm-Kurt Kelman [2]] Appl. No.: 439,626  
 [57] ABSTRACT [30] Foreign Application Priority Data The apparatus comprises needle beam means, which Mar [977 Austria 889/72 carry needle boards, needle beam guide means for 7 vertically guiding said needle beam means, needle [52] U 5 Cl 28/4 R beam drive means for imparting an up and down mo- [SI] 18/00 tion to said needle beam means, balancing weight [58] Fieid R 72 2 R means associated with said needle beam means, balancing weight guide means for vertically guiding said [56] References Cited balancing weight means, and balancing weight drive means for imparting to said balancing weight means UNXTED STATES PATENTS an up and down motion in phase opposition to said 1,742,133 12/1929 Chase 28/4 R needle beam means. 1,745,739 2/1930 Chase 3,368,256 2/1968 Fchrcr et a1. 28/4 R 7 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures Z 2 7 73 ll 13 2 3 1 r0 1 w 1] 1 4 l j IIIIIIIHHHIH&#39;IHIIH IHIIIW PATENTEDAPR 1 51975 3.877. 121  
 sum 1 Bf 2 FIG.1  
 NEEDLE PL&#39;NCHING APPARATUS This invention relates to apparatus for needle punching fiber webs or the like. which comprises a needle beam. which may be divided into sections. if desired. and which is vertically guided and is mo\ed up and down by an eccentric shaft through the intermediary of connecting rods. and needle boards mounted in said needle beam.  
  The web or the like is advanced between a perforated support and an also perforated stripper and as the needle beam is moved up and down the needles of the needle beams pierce into the web or the like from above through the strippers.  
  In such a needle punching apparatus. relati\el large masses are moved up and down and during an operation at a high stroke fret uenc result in considerable vibration and shakes. It is an object of the invention so to improve the apparatus described first hereinbefore that such vibration and shakes are avoided even during a fast operation of the machine. specifically. of the eccentric shaft for driving the needle beam.  
  This object is accomplished according to the invention by the provision of a balancing weight associated with the needle beam. or of balancing weights associated with respective needle beam sections. said or each counterweight being also \&#39;erticall guided and moved up and down in phase opposition to the needle beam. The resulting balancing of masses ensures a smooth running of the overall apparatus. It will be understood that the balancing weight must be matched to the mass of the moving parts of the needle beam.  
  According to an additional feature of the invention. a particularly desirable design will be obtained if the eccentric shaft is provided between adjacent eccentrics for driving the needle beam with additional eccentrics. which are angularl offset ltltl from the firstmentioned eccentrics and act on connecting rods which engage the balancing weight. and the balancing weight is accommodated within a housing. which is known per se and accommodates the eccentrics and connecting rods and forms the shaft bearings and vertical guides. and the balancing weight is preferably guided on rods which are fixed to the housing. In that case the usually esisting housing is utilized to accommodate the balancing weight so that the latter does not disturb and does not require additional space for its operation. It will be understood that cranks may be used instead of the eccentrics.  
  An illustrative embodiment of those parts of a needlepunching apparatus which are essential for the invention are shown by wa of example on the accompanying drawing. in which FIG. 1 illustrates one needle punching unit in a vertical sectional view; and  
  FIG. 2 illustrates a like view of a plurality of adjacent units.  
  A drive shaft 1 carries two eccentrics 2 for each beam section. which. by means of connecting rods 3 move two rods 4 up and down. l-Iach needle beam section 5 is suspended from said rods and is provided with needle boards 6. The eccentrics Z and the connecting rods 3 of each section are accommodated in a housing 7 which forms shaft bearings 8 and \ertical guides 9 for the rods 4. When the webs to be needle-punched are wide. a plurality of such units are arranged one beside the other. as shown in the drawing; in that case. the  
 Ill  
 drive shafts l are interconnected b elastic couplings 14.  
  A balancing weight I], which is matched to the mov ing masses of the needle beam section 5. is verticallv guided on rods I0, which are secured to the housing Between the two eccentrics 2. two additional eccentrics l2 are provided. which are angularlv offset 180 from the eccentrics 2 and are connected b connecting rods 13 to the balancing weight I] so that the latter moves up and down in phase opposition to the needle beam during the rotation of the drive shaft 1.  
 What is claimed is:  
  I. Needle punching apparatus. which comprises needle beam means carrying needle boards.  
 needle beam guide means for \erticall guiding said needle beam means.  
 needle beam drive means for imparting an up and down motion to said needle beam means. balancing weight means associated with said needle beam means.  
 balancing weight guide means for verticall guiding said balancing weight means. and  
 balancing weight drive means for imparting to said balancing weight means an up and down motion in phase opposition to said needle beam means.  
  2. Needle punching apparatus as set forth in claim I. in which said needle beam means comprise a single needle beam and said balancing weight means comprise a single balancing weight associated with said needle beam.  
  3. Needle punching apparatus as set forth in claim I. in which said needle beam means comprise a plurality of needle beam sections and said balancing weight means comprise a plurality of balancing weights associated with respecti\e ones of said needle beam sectionsv 4. Needle punching apparatus as set forth in claim I. in which a rotary shaft is provided.  
 said needle beam drive means comprise needle beam drive connecting rod means for converting a rotation of said shaft into an up and down motion of said needle beam means. and said balancing weight drive means comprise balancing weight drive connecting rod means for com erting a rotation of said shaft into an up and down mo tion of said needle beam means in phase opposition to said needle beam means. 5. Needle punching apparatus as set forth in claim 4. in which said needle beam drive means comprise asialI spaced needle beam drive eccentrics which are carried by said shaft and operativel} connected to said needle beam drive connecting rod means and said balancing weight drive eccentrics which are carried by said shaft and disposed between adjacent ones of said needle beam drive eccentrics and angularlv spaced [80 therefrom and operativelv connected to said balancing weight drive connecting rod means.  
  6. Needle punching apparatus as set forth in claim 5. which comprises a housing which is formed with bearings for said shaft and with said needle beam guide means and accommodates said needle beam drive eccentrics. said needle beam drive connecting rods. said balancing weight drive eccentrics and said balancing weight drive connecting rods.  
  7. Needle punching apparatus as set forth in claim 6. in which said balancing weight guide means consist of rods which are secured to said housing.