Output rod and its assembling method, mechanical cam shedding forming mechanism and loom

Abstract

The present invention provides an output lever and its assembly method, a mechanical cam shed forming mechanism, and a loom. The output lever has cam follower rollers and includes two follower rollers connected to a body. The body defines a middle plane and includes a central portion having two opposite surfaces and two attachment portions, the attachment portions being connected to the respective follower rollers by respective attachment means. The attachment means includes inner and outer fasteners each including one or more flanges. The flanges are each formed by a plate and are supported against each other in parallel planes. Each follower roller is U-shapedly mounted between the inner and outer fasteners such that the contact surfaces of the two follower rollers are on opposite sides of the middle plane. The first follower roller is attached to a first attachment portion of the two attachment portions including two opposite surfaces by a first attachment means, the opposite surfaces being connected by a flange, separated by a distance equal to the thickness of the central portion, and each coplanar with a respective surface of the central portion. The contact surface of the first follower roller is oppositely positioned with respect to the edge of the first attachment portion.

Description

Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to an output lever with cam follower rollers for a shed forming mechanism and to a method of manufacturing such a lever. The invention also relates to a shed machine comprising such a lever and to a loom equipped with such a shed machine. Background Art

[0002] In the field of weaving looms, cam shed forming mechanisms are known which comprise a series of oscillating levers, the number of which is equal to the maximum number of heddle frames to be mounted on the loom, each oscillating lever, also called an output lever, being intended to be coupled to one of the frames and being equipped with two rollers which cooperate with two followers of complementary cams driven in rotation by a common shaft. The conjugate followers of the same cam are axially offset, and the rollers carried by the associated lever must have the same axial offset as the followers of the cam.

[0003] For this purpose, it is known, for example from CN-U-203807652, to mount the rollers U-shaped between two flanges on the lever body, the first flange being formed directly in the thickness of the lever body by machining on the side surface of the lever, while the second flange is fixed to the lever body by rivets. Machining the first flange into the body is an operation which, in addition to being costly, can also release internal stresses in the material and cause deformations which occur after machining. Then, additional straightening operations are required to compensate for these deformations, and the positioning of the rollers relative to the cam must be very precise in order to limit torsional forces and limit the risk of premature failure of the lever.

[0004] It is also known, for example from EP-A-1730338 or EP-3 162 933-A1, to mount each roller between two flanges of a pair of flanges fixed to the lever body. The first flange of each pair of flanges engages partially in a hollow recess machined in the side surface of the body. Again, the machining operations are costly and generally require additional straightening steps. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention aims to overcome these drawbacks by proposing a new lever with rollers which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture.

[0006] To this end, the present invention relates to an output rod having a cam follower roller of a cam shed forming mechanism, the output rod including a body and two cam follower rollers. The body of the output rod is formed by a plate having two opposite faces, a middle plane being defined between the two opposite faces, and the body of the output rod includes a central portion having two opposite surfaces, two attachment portions, and an extension portion. An opening is formed in the central portion and centered on the main axis so as to receive a bearing. The attachment portion and the extension portion are formed radially with respect to the main axis and are different from each other. Each follower roller is offset from the middle plane along the main axis, and each follower roller includes an inner ring, an outer ring, and rolling elements disposed between the inner ring and the outer ring such that the outer ring rotates freely relative to the inner ring about a roller axis parallel to the main axis. The outer ring has a contact surface that is radial with respect to the roller axis and is intended to contact a follower of a cam of the shed forming mechanism. Each follower roller is connected to a corresponding attachment portion by a corresponding attachment device. Each attachment device includes an inner attachment member located on one side of the other follower roller with respect to the inner ring and an outer attachment member located on the opposite side of the other follower roller with respect to the inner ring. The inner attachment member and the outer attachment member each include one or more flanges, each of the one or more flanges being formed by the plate, and the one or more flanges support and connect to each other in parallel planes. Each follower roller is mounted in a U-shaped manner between the inner flange of the inner attachment member and the outer flange of the outer attachment member and is fixed to the inner flange and the outer flange by the attachment members. The outer attachment member is connected to the corresponding attachment portion by a rod rivet. The outer attachment member rests on one of the faces of the corresponding attachment portion in a parallel plane such that the contact surfaces of the two follower rollers are located on both sides of the middle plane. According to the present invention, at least one of the follower rollers, which is referred to as the first follower roller, is fixed to the first attachment portion of the two attachment portions by a first attachment device, and the first attachment portion of the output rod includes two opposite surfaces that are connected to each other by a flange and are separated from each other by a distance equal to the thickness of the central portion such that each of the two surfaces of the first attachment portion is coplanar with the corresponding surface of the central portion, and the contact surface of the first follower roller is positioned opposite to the edge of the first attachment portion.

[0007] By means of the present invention, the device for attaching the roller to the body of the output rod includes components formed by plates or spacer rings, in other words, components having a simple geometry and low manufacturing cost. The attachment portion has a constant thickness and does not require any surface machining for mounting the roller, which is economical. The roller is attached to the rod body by an assembly of plates and rings attached by means of fasteners such as rivets, and such an assembly is simple to manufacture and durable.

[0008] According to an advantageous but non-compulsory aspect of the present invention, such an output rod may include one or more of the following features in any technically permissible combination:

[0009] - The inner and outer fasteners of the first fastening device are assembled by U - clip rivets;

[0010] - The outer fastener includes an outer flange and a spacer flange. The outer flange and the spacer flange are each formed from a respective plate and are joined together by riveting. The outer flange has an inner face and an opposite outer face. The inner face of the outer flange bears on the first driven roller, and the outer flange is fixed to the first driven roller by an attachment. The spacer flange is assembled to the first attachment part by a rod rivet. The spacer flange is placed between the outer flange and the first attachment part so that the inner face of the outer flange is offset relative to the first surface of the two surfaces of the first attachment part;

[0011] - The inner attachment of the first fastening system includes an inner flange. The inner flange is formed from a plate and has an outer face and an opposite inner face. The inner flange abuts against the first driven roller. The inner flange is attached to the first driven roller by an attachment device. At the same time, the inner flange is rested on the outer fastener by one or more struts formed from a plate, such that the inner faces of the inner flange and the outer flange are parallel to each other and are separated by a distance equal to the thickness of the first driven roller except for the assembly gap;

[0012] - Each strut is attached to the inner flange and the outer fastener by one or more U - clip rivets;

[0013] - One or more U - clip rivets are attached to the inner flange of the inner fastener, the outer flange of the outer fastener, the spacer flange of the outer fastener, and each strut;

[0014] - The inner attachment includes a reinforcing flange. The reinforcing flange is formed from a plate and has an inner face and an opposite outer face. The inner face of the reinforcing flange jointly rests on the outer face of the inner flange and the second surface of the two surfaces of the first attachment part. The reinforcing flange is fixed to the first attachment part by a rod rivet on the one hand and to the inner flange by a U - clip rivet on the other hand;

[0015] - Two driven rollers are installed to respective attachment parts by respective attachment devices. Each attachment device is similar to the first attachment device, preferably the same as the first attachment device;

[0016] - The outer flanges of the two attachment devices are the same;

[0017] - The inner flanges of the two fastening devices are the same, and

[0018] - Each fastening device includes two fasteners, such as rivets. Each inner ring has a disc - like shape centered on the respective roller axis. Each inner ring defines an inner half - disc and an outer half - disc complementary to the inner half - disc. The inner half - disc of each driven roller is on one side of the other driven roller, and the fasteners of each driven roller are arranged in the outer half - disc of that driven roller.

[0019] The present invention also relates to a cam shed forming mechanism including an output rod as described above.

[0020] According to another aspect, the present invention relates to a weaving loom equipped with such a mechanism.

[0021] Finally, the present invention relates to a method of assembling an output rod as described above, the assembling method including the following steps:

[0022] a) Stacking the inner flange, the strut, the spacer flange, and the outer flange in a positioning tool such that all the U - clip rivet through - holes are aligned;

[0023] b) Inserting a U - clip rivet into the corresponding through - hole and then deforming the U - clip rivet under pressure so as to connect the inner flange, the strut, the spacer flange, and the outer flange to each other and together form a fastener sub - assembly;

[0024] c) Positioning the outer fastener of the fastener sub - assembly on the corresponding attachment portion so as to align the rod rivet holes;

[0025] d) Inserting a rod rivet into the corresponding through - hole and then deforming the rod rivet under pressure so as to fix the fastener sub - assembly to the corresponding attachment portion;

[0026] e) Positioning the follower between the inner flange and the outer flange of the corresponding fastener so as to align the through - holes of the fastener, and

[0027] f) Inserting a fastening device into the corresponding through - hole and then deforming the fastening device under pressure so as to fix the follower roller to the fastening sub - assembly.

[0028] Advantageously:

[0029] - In step a) of the assembling method, the reinforcing flange is inserted together with the inner flange, and after step b), the reinforcing flange is part of the fastener sub - assembly, and

[0030] - The assembling method includes an intermediate step after step d) and before step e), the intermediate step including further processing the through - hole of the attachment and the opening of the rod body. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] The present invention will be better understood and other advantages thereof will become more apparent from the following description of five embodiments of the output rod of the cam shed forming mechanism and its related manufacturing method, the shed machine of the type of cam shed forming mechanism equipped with such a rod, and the loom equipped with such a mechanism according to its principle, the five embodiments being given by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0032] -Figure 1 is a partial schematic diagram of the loom principle according to the present invention;

[0033] - Figure 2 yes Figure 1 An enlarged scale view of detail II in FIG. 1 , which comprises an output rod according to a first embodiment of the invention, wherein some parts are omitted for ease of reading;

[0034] - Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A three-dimensional diagram of an output rod;

[0035] - Figure 4 yes Figure 3 Detail IV of the exploded perspective view;

[0036] - Figure 5 It is along Figure 2 A partial cross section taken along line VV in ;

[0037] - Figure 6 is an output rod according to the second embodiment of the present invention similar to Figure 5 's view;

[0038] - Figure 7 is an output rod according to a third embodiment of the present invention similar to Figure 3 's view;

[0039] - Figure 8 yes Figure 7 The output rod is similar to Figure 5 A partial cross-sectional view of

[0040] - Figure 9 is an output rod according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention similar to Figure 3 's view;

[0041] - Figure 10 yes Figure 9 The output rod is similar to Figure 5 A partial cross-sectional view of

[0042] - Figure 11 is an output rod according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention similar to Figure 5 Partial cross-sectional view of . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] Figure 1Loom M is shown. The loom M is equipped with a frame 2 with heddles 4, each heddle 4 being provided with an eyelet for passing one or more warp threads through. Different frames 2 of the loom M are driven by a vertical oscillating motion, which is represented by the double arrow F2 and is generated by a shed-forming mechanism 10. The output rod 11 of the shed-forming mechanism 10 engages respectively with a transmission rod 12, and the transmission rod 12 is associated with a return rod 13 that is connected to each other and connected to the frame 2 through a rod 14. For each frame 2, the transmission rod 12, the return rod 13, and the rod 14 are part of a subassembly called a transmission device T. Each transmission rod 12 is connected at one end to an extension 15 of the associated rod 11 through a clamp 16, and the clamp 16 is attached to the extension 15 through a clamping screw 17. The clamp 16 and the clamping screw 17 are only shown in Figure 1 as shown.

[0044] The rod 11 is provided such that its number is equivalent to the maximum number of heddle frames 2 of the loom M, and as shown by the double arrow F11, it is pivotally mounted around an output shaft 18 supported by a housing 19 of the shed-forming mechanism 10 and partially protected by a cover 20. In Figure 1 the output shaft 18 is centered on an axis orthogonal to the plane of Figure 1 . Unless otherwise stated, the movement of each component is in the plane of Figure 1 , and in particular, the rotational movement of each component is around an axis orthogonal to the plane of Figure 1 . Therefore, the rotational axes of the components are parallel to each other.

[0045] Therefore, by distributing the warp threads on at least two frames 2 connected to the output rod 11 - which is driven by an anti-phase oscillating motion F11 - the warp threads can be opened to allow the weft thread to pass through, and the warp threads can be closed to allow the weft thread to be incorporated into the fabric.

[0046] Figure 1 Only one heddle frame among the heddle frames 2 and only one rod among the rods 11 are shown.

[0047] The shed-forming mechanism 10 also includes a plurality of complementary cams, and only one cam among the complementary cams is shown by the reference numeral 22. Each cam defines two conjugate followers 22A and 22B, and two follower rollers 24A and 24B supported by the rod 11 are respectively supported on the two conjugate followers 22A and 22B. Broadly speaking, the shed-forming mechanism 10 is also called a cam shed-forming mechanism. This cam shed-forming mechanism 10 is used on the loom M.

[0048] The cam 22 is mounted on a camshaft 26, and the camshaft 26 can rotate relative to the frame 16 around an axis parallel to the axis of the output shaft 18. The camshaft 26 is driven to rotate directly or indirectly by a loom shaft or a motor, and the loom shaft or the motor is not shown.

[0049] Particularly in Figure 2 and Figure 3 The rod 11 visible in, for example, comprises a body 110 formed by a plate made of a rigid and corrosion-resistant material such as steel, and the rod 11 has two opposite faces 112 and 114 which are flat and parallel to each other over the entire body 110. The body 110 has a constant thickness over all the faces 112 and 114 and defines a median plane P11. Thus, the two faces 112 and 114 are parallel to and equidistant from the median plane P11.

[0050] The body 110 includes a central portion 116 in which an opening 118 centered on a main axis A11 is formed, the axis A11 being orthogonal to the median plane P11. The opening 118 houses a bearing 120 for mounting the rod 11 on the output shaft 18. Thus, the output shaft 18 is centered on the main axis A11. In this case, the bearing 120 is a needle bearing. The opening 118 must be precisely defined in order to allow the output rod 11 to be properly positioned relative to its surroundings, in particular to prevent two adjacent output rods 11 from contacting each other during their oscillatory movements. A surface 117A is defined as the portion of the face 114 corresponding to the central portion 116. Similarly, a surface 117B is defined as the portion of the face 112 corresponding to the central portion 116. Thus, the surface 117A is oriented away from the surface 117B.

[0051] The body 110 also includes two attachment portions 122A and 122B which are formed radially with respect to the main axis A11 and are different from each other with respect to the extension 15. The attachment portion 122A is connected to the driven roller 24A, while the attachment portion 122B is connected to the driven roller 24B, each driven roller 24A or 24B being connected to the corresponding attachment portion via a respective attachment device 28 described in detail below, such that each driven roller 24A and 24B is offset from the median plane P11 along the main axis A11.

[0052] The faces 112 and 114 of the body 110 include the attachment portions 122A and 122B; in other words, the attachment portions 122A and 122B have faces parallel to the median plane P11 and of constant thickness.

[0053] In the example shown in the figure, the two follower rollers 24A and 24B advantageously have the same structure, or are even identical, which reduces the standardization cost. Similarly, the attachment devices 28 associated with each of the rollers 24A or 24B advantageously have the same structure, or are even identical. On the other hand, the attachment portions 122A and 122B of the body 110 both have shapes similar to each other. Hereinafter, the follower roller 24A connected to the attachment portion 122A and the associated attachment device 28 will be mainly described, and this description can be applied to the roller 24B, which is attached to the attachment portion 122B by its own attachment device 28.

[0054] The surface 123A is defined as the portion of the surface 114 corresponding to the attachment portion 122A. Similarly, the surface 123B is defined as the portion of the surface 112 corresponding to the attachment portion 122A. The surface 123A is oriented oppositely to the surface 123B.

[0055] Therefore, the surface 123A of the attachment portion 122A is coplanar with the surface 117A of the central portion 116, while the surface 123B of the attachment portion 122A is coplanar with the surface 117B of the central portion 116. The surfaces 123A and 123B are connected to each other by a flange 124, which has a cylindrical surface with a generatrix parallel to the main axis A11. In particular, the surfaces 123A and 123B do not have any recesses with respect to the surfaces 117A or 117B, and are separated from each other by a thickness equal to the thickness of the central portion 116.

[0056] The edges between the flange 124 and each of the surfaces 123A and 123B may have rounding or chamfering to prevent the operator from being injured when operating the lever 11.

[0057] The follower roller 24A includes an inner ring 240, an outer ring 242, and rolling elements 244 disposed between the inner ring 240 and the outer ring 242, with the inner ring 240 having a disc shape centered on the corresponding roller axis A24, such that the outer ring 242 rotates freely relative to the inner ring 240 about the corresponding roller axis A24. When the roller 24A is connected to the attachment portion 122A via the attachment device 28, the roller axis A24 is parallel to the main axis A11. The outer ring 242 has a contact surface S242, which is radial with respect to the roller axis A24 and is intended to contact the follower 22A of the cam 22. In this case, the contact surface S242 is a part of a cylinder with a circular cross-section centered on the corresponding axis A24.

[0058] The rolling element 244 - in this case a roller - is axially held relative to the roller axis A24 by two lateral sides 246 along the roller axis A24, the two lateral sides 246 being located on both sides of the inner ring 240. The inner ring 240 and the outer ring 242 are made of steel plates, for example, with a thickness between, for example, 2 mm and 20 mm, while the lateral sides 246 are made of treated steel plates with a thickness between, for example, 0.1 mm and 1 mm.

[0059] For each roller 24A or 24B, the thickness E24 of the roller is defined as being equal to the cumulative thickness of the inner ring 240 and the two lateral sides 246 measured parallel to the corresponding axis A24.

[0060] Two holes 248 are formed through the inner ring 240 and the lateral sides 246. Each hole 248 centered on an axis parallel to the roller axis A24 allows the fastener 280 of the attachment device 28 to pass through. In the illustrated example, the fastener 280 received in each of the holes in the holes 248 is a rivet, called a "roller rivet".

[0061] When the roller 24A, as in the prior art situation, includes only one hole 248 for receiving the fastener 280, the hole 248 is aligned with the roller axis A24 because there is still a risk that the inner ring 240 of the roller A24 will rotate relative to the attachment device 28 about an axis centered on the hole 248.

[0062] In the illustrated example, each attachment device 28 includes two fasteners 280, and the driven roller 24A includes two separate holes 248, each hole 248 receiving a corresponding fastener 280. Thus, rotational movement of the inner ring 240 relative to the attachment device 28 is prevented.

[0063] Advantageously, the fastener 280 and thus the holes 248 formed in the inner ring 240 of the driven roller A24 are farther from the roller axis A24 of another driven roller 24B than the roller axis A24 of the driven roller 24A.

[0064] In other words, the inner ring 240 has a disc - shaped form centered on the roller axis A24 and defines an inner half - disc 240A and an outer half - disc 240B complementary to the inner half - disc 240A, where the inner half - disc 240A of the driven roller 24A is on one side of another driven roller 24B. The holes 248 of the inner ring 240 of the driven roller 24A are formed through the outer half - disc 240B of the inner ring 240, that is, these holes 248 are farther from the roller axis A24 of another driven roller 24B than the axis A24 of the inner ring 240 in which these holes 248 are drilled.

[0065] Symmetrically, the holes 248 formed in the inner ring 240 of the driven roller 24B are farther from the roller axis A24 of the driven roller 24B than the roller axis A24 of the driven roller 24A.

[0066] This configuration allows the cam followers 22A and 22B of the cam 22 with conjugate profiles to have a significant radius difference without the risk of interference between the cam followers 22A or 22B and the attachment means 28 of the rod 11. This increases the acceleration of the oscillatory movement F11 of the rod 11 and thus improves the productivity of the loom M.

[0067] When the roller 24A is attached to the attachment portion 122A, the contact surface S242 is located in a position opposite to the flange 124. The flange 124 and the contact surface S242 define an intermediate volume V124. In the illustrated example, when the roller 24A is attached to the attachment portion 122A, the flange 124 has the shape of a circular cross-sectional portion of a cylinder centered on the roller axis A24. In other words, the flange 124 is concentric with the contact surface S242, and the intermediate volume V124 has a constant width measured radially with respect to the roller axis A24.

[0068] Two holes 126 are formed through the attachment portion 122A close to the flange 124 - that is, closer to the flange 124 than the opening 118. Each hole 126 centered on an axis parallel to the main axis A11 allows the fastener 282 of the attachment means 28 to pass through, and the fastener 282 is in this case another rivet, called a "rod rivet".

[0069] Now describe the attachment means 28 that connects the driven roller 24A to the attachment portion 122A of the body 110 of the rod 11. In addition to the roller rivet 280 and the rod rivet 282 introduced previously, the attachment means 28 also includes an inner fastener 28A and an outer fastener 28B. The inner fastener 28A connected to the driven roller 24A is located on one side of another driven roller 24B with respect to the inner ring 240 of the driven roller 24A, while the outer fastener 28B connected to the driven roller 24A is located on the opposite side of the other driven roller 24B with respect to the inner ring 240 of the driven roller 24A. The inner fastener 28A includes an inner flange 30, while the outer fastener 28B includes an outer flange 32 and a spacer flange 34. The driven roller 24A is clevis mounted between the inner flange 30 of the inner fastener 28A and the outer flange 32 of the outer fastener 28B. In the first embodiment, the attachment means 28 also includes struts 36, and each strut 36 is formed of a plate and in this case each strut is annular, having a thickness E36 and a peripheral surface S36.

[0070] The inner flange 30 and the outer flange 32 are each formed of a plate of a rigid material such as steel, and the inner flange 30 and the outer flange 32 each have a generally triangular shape with rounded edges and corners. For each of the inner flange 30 and the outer flange 32, one of the triangular vertices defines a front portion labeled 302 and 322 respectively, and each of the front portions 302 and 322 includes two front holes 286 for the roll rivet 280 to pass through. "Front" means that when the attachment device 28 is assembled to the body 110 of the rod 11, the portions 302 and 322 point away from the central portion 116 of the body 110 of the rod 11 towards the driven roller 24A. The driven roller 24A is attached to the inner flange 30 and the outer flange 32 by roll rivets 280, which is an example of the driven roller 24A being attached to the inner flange 30 and the outer flange 32.

[0071] The inner flange 30 includes an inner face 30A and an outer face 30B opposite to the inner face 30A. Similarly, the outer flange 32 includes an inner face 32A and an outer face 32B opposite to the inner face 32A. When the inner flange 30 and the outer flange 32 are assembled to the roller 24A by roll rivets 280, the inner faces 30A and 32A face each other and are supported on the side surface 246 of the driven roller 24A in parallel planes. Thus, the inner ring 240 is fixed relative to the inner flange 30 and the outer flange 32, while the outer ring 242 remains rotatable relative to the inner ring 240 about the roller axis A24. In other words, the inner flange 30 or the outer flange 32 does not impede the movement of the outer ring 242, and the driven roller 24A is mounted in a U-shaped clamp between the inner fastener 28A and the outer fastener 28B. Opposite to the front portion 302, the inner flange 30 includes an edge 304 that defines a rear portion 306 of the outer flange 30. In the assembled configuration of the attachment device 28, the edge 304 of the inner flange 30 is positioned opposite to the flange 124 of the attachment portion 122A.

[0072] Opposite to the front portion 322, the outer flange 32 includes an edge 324 that defines a rear portion 326 of the outer flange 32. Two rear holes 288 are formed in the rear portion 326 of the outer flange 32 adjacent to the edge 324 for the rod rivet 282 to pass through.

[0073] Between the front portion 322 and the rear portion 326, the outer flange 32 further includes an intermediate portion 328 in which two intermediate holes 290 are formed. When the outer flange 32 is connected to the roller 24A on one hand and the attachment portion 122A on the other hand, the intermediate holes 290 open on the side of the inner face 32A and lead to the intermediate volume V124.

[0074] The inner flange 30 further includes an intermediate hole 291 which, in the assembled configuration of the attachment device 28, is aligned with the intermediate hole 290 of the outer flange 32 and which is intended for the passage of a fastener 284 which, in this case, is called a "U-bolt" rivet.

[0075] The spacer flange 34 is formed from a plate of a rigid material such as steel and includes an inner face 34A and an outer face 34B opposite the inner face 34A. When the attachment device 28 is assembled, the outer face 34B faces the outer flange 32. The two faces 34A and 34B define therebetween the thickness E34 of the spacer flange 34. The spacer flange 34 further includes a front edge 342 and a rear edge 344 opposite the front edge 342 which, in the assembled configuration of the roller 24A, is oriented towards the roller 24A and away from the central portion 116 of the rod 11. The front portion 346 and the rear portion 348 of the spacer flange 34 are also defined as the portions of the spacer flange 34 which include the front edge 342 or the rear edge 344 respectively.

[0076] The rear portion 348 of the spacer flange 34 is placed between the outer flange 32 and the attachment portion 122A. More specifically, the outer face 34B of the spacer flange 34 bears against the inner face 32A of the outer flange 32 in parallel planes, while the inner face 34A of the spacer flange 34 bears against the face 112 of the body 110 of the rod 11 in parallel planes. As a result, the driven roller 24A is offset from the intermediate plane P11 parallel to the roller axis A24.

[0077] The rear portion 348 includes a hole 350 which is formed through the spacer flange 34 and which is intended for the passage of the rod rivet 282. Thus, in the assembled configuration of the fastener 28, the hole 126 in the attachment portion 122A, the hole 350 in the spacer flange 34 and the rear hole 288 in the outer flange 32 are aligned to allow the passage of the rod rivet 282.

[0078] The inner lateral face 246A of the roller 24A is defined as one of the two lateral faces 246 which is located on the side of the inner flange 30. The position of the inner lateral face 246A relative to the intermediate plane P11 depends on the thickness E34 of the spacer flange 34.

[0079] Thus, depending on the configuration of the followers 22A and 22B, the thickness E34 of the spacer flange 34 is selected such that the roller 24A supported on the follower 22A of the cam 22 does not interfere with the follower 22B and, similarly, such that the roller 24B supported on the follower 22B does not interfere with the follower 22A. In particular, the contact surface S242 or the inner lateral face 246A of the roller 24A must not contact the follower 22B.

[0080] Following the example, the thickness E34 of the spacer flange 34 is greater than or equal to half of the thickness E24 of the driven roller 24A, such that the roller 24A is entirely located on one side of the intermediate plane P11.

[0081] Depending on whether the spacer flange 34 bears on the face 112 or the face 114 of the body 110, the offset of the driven roller 24A relative to the intermediate plane P11 is in one direction or the other. More generally, it can be understood that two identical attachment devices 28 can be used to attach two driven rollers 24A and 24B, and the positioning of the spacer flange 34 on either the face 112 or 114 of the body 110 allows the roller 24A or 24B to be offset to one side or the other of the intermediate plane P11. Thus, the components of the attachment device 28 can be mass-produced, which reduces the manufacturing cost.

[0082] In the first embodiment, the front portion 346 of the spacer flange 34 extends into the intermediate volume V124, beyond the flange 124 of the attachment portion 124A, where the front edge 342 faces the contact surface S242 of the roller 24A. The front portion 346 includes a hole 352 that is aligned with the intermediate hole 290 of the outer flange 32 to allow the U-shaped clip rivet 284 of the fastener 28 to pass through. In the assembled configuration of the fastener 28, the spacer flange 34 is attached to the outer flange 32 by the U-shaped clip rivet 284.

[0083] At each U-shaped clip rivet 284, a strut 36 is placed between the inner flange 30 and the inner fastener 28A such that the inner face 30A of the inner flange 30 and the inner face 32A of the outer flange 32 are parallel to each other and are separated within the assembly gap by a distance equal to the thickness E24 of the driven roller 24A. In other words, the U-shaped clip rivet 284 connects the inner flange 30 of the inner fastener 28A, the outer flange 32 of the outer fastener 28B, the spacer flange 34 of the outer fastener 28B, and each strut 36.

[0084] In the first embodiment, the attachment device 28 includes two U-shaped clip rivets 284 and two struts 36, in which case the two struts 36 are rings. Since the distance between the inner flange 30 and the outer flange 32 is the thickness E24 of the driven roller or alternatively equal to the thickness E24 of the driven roller, the thickness E36 of the strut 36 is equal to the thickness E24 of the roller 24A minus the thickness E34 of the spacer flange 34.

[0085] Thus, the roller 24A is covered by the inner flange 30 and the outer flange 32 assembled by the roller rivets 280. The inner flange 30 and the outer flange 32 are also connected by the U-shaped clip rivets 284, which helps to strengthen and reinforce the connection between the inner flange 20 and the outer flange 32 and the roller 24A. In other words, the inner fastener 28A and the outer fastener 28B are connected by the U-shaped clip rivets 284.

[0086] Thus, the attachment device 28 according to the present invention allows the driven roller 24A to be connected to the body 110 of the output rod 11 without the need to form a specific housing for the driven roller in the faces 112 or 114 of the body 110, and without the need to mill a flange in the body 110 as in the prior art. Additionally, each of the inner fastener 28A and the outer fastener 28B includes one or more plates, namely an inner flange, an outer flange, and a spacer flange, which abut against each other in parallel planes and are connected to each other by rivets 280 and 284.

[0087] Simple machining operations are performed in the body 110, such as drilling or chamfering, especially for manufacturing the rivet holes 282. Optionally, the surfaces 112 and 114 may include base regions, especially the attachment portion 124A, to achieve a suitable geometry of the output rod 11.

[0088] A method of assembling the roller 24A to the body 110 of the output rod 11 will now be described. It should be understood that the same assembly method is valid for the roller 24B.

[0089] The assembly method includes a first step that includes providing the various components of the already assembled roller 24A, the body 110 of the rod 11, and the attachment device 28, namely the inner flange 30, the outer flange 32, the spacer flange 34, and the strut 36.

[0090] Then, the assembly method includes a second step that includes stacking the inner flange 30, the strut 36, the spacer flange 34, and the outer flange 32 in a positioning tool (not shown and constructed for this purpose) so that all the holes intended for the passage of the corresponding rivets are aligned. In particular, the front hole 286 is for the passage of the roller rivet 280, the holes 288 and 350 are for the passage of the rod rivets 282, and the holes 290, 352, and 291 are for the passage of the U - clip rivets 284.

[0091] Then, the assembly method includes a third step called "riveting" that includes inserting the U - clip rivets into the corresponding holes 290, 352, and 291 and then deforming the U - clip rivets under pressure so that the inner flange 30, the strut 36, the strut flange 34, and the outer flange 32 are connected together and form a fastening sub - assembly together.

[0092] During riveting, the rivets, having an initial length slightly greater than the thickness of the component stack, are plastically deformed in a radial direction with respect to the hole axis, thereby increasing the tightness of the rivets in the through - holes. The rivets are also deformed at their ends to partially fill the chamfers in the through - holes 291 and 290 of the inner flange 30 and the outer flange 32.

[0093] When using rivets such as roll rivets 280, stem rivets 282 or U-bolt rivets 284, they are preferably set at room temperature using a so-called "cold" riveting method. Unlike hot riveting or other thermal assembly methods such as welding, cold riveting does not generate local heating in the components to be assembled, which avoids component deformation during the assembly operation.

[0094] The assembly method then includes a fourth step that includes positioning the outer flange 32 of the fastener subassembly on the corresponding attachment portion 122A so that the holes 288, 350 and 126 for passage of the stem rivet 282 are aligned. In the illustrated example, the outer flange 32 is positioned on one side of the face 112 of the body 110.

[0095] The assembly method then includes a fifth step: inserting the stem rivet 282 into the corresponding through holes 288, 350 and 126 and then deforming the stem rivet 282 under pressure to secure the fastener subassembly to the corresponding attachment portion 122A.

[0096] The assembly method then includes a sixth step: positioning the driven roll 24A between the inner flange 30 and the outer flange 32 of the corresponding fastener assembly 28 such that the through holes 248 and 286 of the roll rivet 280 are aligned.

[0097] The assembly method then includes a seventh step: inserting the roll rivet 280 into the corresponding holes 248 and 286 and then deforming the roll rivet 280 under pressure to secure the roll 24A to the fastener subassembly.

[0098] Optionally, in the first step, the openings 18 and the front holes 286 formed in the body 110, the inner flange 30 and the outer flange 32 respectively are still only in a rough state. In this case, the assembly method includes an intermediate step between the fifth step and the sixth step that includes reworking the holes 286 and the openings 118 such that at the end of the seventh step, the main axis A11 of the body 11 and the roll axis A24 of the driven roll 24A are parallel to each other and spaced apart by an exact amount.

[0099] This reworking compensates for any geometric deviations related to the assembly or geometric tolerances of the components of the output rod 11.

[0100] In the second to fifth embodiments, elements similar to those of the first embodiment have the same reference numerals and function in the same way. Hereinafter, the differences between each embodiment and the foregoing embodiment are mainly described.

[0101] One of the main differences between the second embodiment and the first embodiment is that the U-shaped clip rivet 284 connecting the inner flange 30 and the outer flange 32 does not pass through the spacer flange 34, and the struts 36 abut against the inner surface 32A of the outer flange 32 and the inner surface 30A of the inner flange 30.

[0102] The spacer flange 34 includes an inner surface 34A and an outer surface 34B opposite the inner surface 34A. When the attachment device 28 is assembled, the outer surface 34B faces the outer flange 32. The spacer flange 34 also includes a front edge 342 facing the roller 24A in the assembled configuration of the roller 24A, and a rear edge 344 opposite the front edge 342.

[0103] The rear portion 348 of the spacer flange 34 is also defined to include the rear edge 344.

[0104] The rear portion 348 is disposed between the outer flange 32 and the attachment portion 122A. More specifically, the outer surface 34B of the spacer flange 34 is supported against the inner surface 32A of the outer flange 32 in a parallel plane, while the inner surface 34A of the spacer flange 34 is supported against the surface 112 of the body 110 of the rod 11 in a parallel plane. As a result, the driven roller 24A is offset from the intermediate plane P11.

[0105] The rear portion 348 includes a hole 350 formed through the spacer flange 34 and intended for the passage of the rod rivet 282. Thus, in the assembled configuration of the roller 24A, the hole 126 in the attachment portion 122A, the hole 350 in the spacer flange 34, and the rear hole 288 in the outer flange 32 are aligned to allow the rod rivet 282 to pass through.

[0106] In the second embodiment, the spacer flange 34 does not include a front portion extending into the internal volume V124. Here, the front edge 342 is flush with the edge 124 of the attachment portion 122A.

[0107] Thus, the struts 36 disposed between the outer fastener 28B and the inner flange 30 directly abut against the inner surface 32A of the outer flange 32 and the inner surface 30A of the inner flange 30. The struts 36 are each formed of a plate and are each annular, and the struts 36 have a thickness E36. The thickness E36 is selected such that the inner flange 30 and the outer flange 32 are parallel to each other and are separated by a distance equal to the thickness E24 of the driven roller 24A. In other words, in this case, the thickness E36 is selected to be equal to the thickness E24.

[0108] The structure of the rod 11 according to the second embodiment simplifies the assembly of the rod 11, but reduces the stiffness of the rod 11 because the spacer flange 34 does not connect between the U-shaped clip rivet and the rod rivet 282.

[0109] One of the main differences between the third mode and other embodiments is that the inner fastener 28A includes a reinforcing flange 70 which is located on one side of the inner flange 30 and connects the U-bolt rivet 284 to the stem rivet 282.

[0110] The reinforcing flange 70 is formed of a plate of a rigid material such as steel, and the reinforcing flange 70 includes an inner face 70A and an outer face 70B opposite to the inner face 70A. When the attachment device 28 is assembled, the inner face 70A faces the outer flange 32.

[0111] The inner face 70A of the reinforcing flange 70 is commonly supported in parallel planes on the outer face 30B of the inner flange 30 and in parallel planes on the face 114 of the attachment portion 122A, that is, the face of the body 110 of the rod 11 faces away from the spacer flange 34.

[0112] On the one hand, the reinforcing flange 70 is fixed to the attachment portion 122A by the stem rivet 282, and on the other hand, the reinforcing flange 70 is fixed to the inner flange 30 by the U-bolt rivet 284. Compared with the previous embodiments, this structure of the rod 11 is more rigid but heavier.

[0113] In the third embodiment, the thickness of the inner flange 30 is adjusted such that the outer surface 30B of the inner flange 30 and the face 114 of the body 110 are in the same plane, so that the inner face 70B of the reinforcing flange 70 abuts against the face 114 and the outer face 30B of the inner flange 30 together.

[0114] Advantageously, the reinforcing flange 70 has the same profile as the spacer flange 34. Advantageously, the reinforcing flange 70 has the same thickness E34 as the spacer flange 34, in other words, the reinforcing flange 70 is the same as the spacer flange 34, which enables continuous manufacturing of components to reduce production costs and facilitate assembly.

[0115] In the third embodiment, in the first step of the assembly method, the reinforcing flange 70 is provided with other components of the attachment device 28, and then in the second step, the reinforcing flange 70 and the inner flange 30 are placed together in a positioning tool.

[0116] One of the main differences between the fourth embodiment and the previous embodiments is that in the previous embodiments, the struts 36 each being annular with a single rivet through-hole 284 are replaced by struts 436 formed of a plate in which a plurality of rivet through-holes 284 are formed. Additionally, the number of U-bolt rivets 284 is greater, in this case four instead of two U-bolt rivets 284 in the previous mode. Thus, the strut 436 includes four U-bolt rivet holes 284, as described in detail below.

[0117] The spacer flange 34 and the outer flange 32 are connected by two of the four U - clip rivets 284, and these two U - clip rivets 284 form the so - called "front" group of the U - clip rivets 284.

[0118] The reinforcing flange 70 and the inner flange 30 are connected by two additional U - clip rivets 284, which are different from the rivets in the front group and form the so - called "rear" group of the U - clip rivets 284.

[0119] The strut 436 includes a front portion 438 in which a hole 439 is formed for the passage of the front group of U - clip rivets 284. The strut 436 includes a rear portion 440 in which a hole 441 is formed for the passage of the rear group of U - clip rivets 284.

[0120] The inner flange 30 is supported on the outer fastener 28B by the strut 436. More precisely, the strut 436 is placed between the inner face 30A of the inner flange 30 and the inner face 34A of the spacer flange 34, such that within the assembly gap, the inner face 30A of the inner flange 30 and the inner face 32A of the outer flange 32 are parallel to each other and separated by a distance equal to the thickness E24 of the driven roller 24A.

[0121] Since the strut 436 is formed of a plate and the number of U - clip rivets 284 is greater, the output rod 11 of the fourth mode is more rigid than the rod 11 of the previous mode. On the other hand, the rod 11 of the fourth mode has a structure that is substantially symmetric with respect to the intermediate plane P11, which reduces the bending deformation of the attachment device 28 on either side of the intermediate plane P11 when the rollers 24A and 24B abut against the followers 22A and 22B of the cam 22.

[0122] One of the main differences between the fifth embodiment and the previous embodiments is that the rod 11 of the fifth embodiment includes a reinforcing flange 70 but does not include an equivalent of the struts 36 or 436 of the previous embodiments.

[0123] In the fifth embodiment, the inner fastener 28A includes the inner flange 30 and the reinforcing flange 70, while the outer fastener 28B includes the outer flange 32 and the spacer 34.

[0124] The inner face 70A of the reinforcing flange 70 abuts and is supported against the outer face 30B of the inner flange 30 in parallel planes, and the inner flange 30 and the reinforcing flange 70 are connected by the rear group of U - clip rivets 284.

[0125] The outer face 34B of the spacer flange 34 abuts and is supported against the inner face 32B of the outer flange 32 in parallel planes, and the spacer flange 34 and the outer flange 32 are connected by the front U - clip rivet assembly 284.

[0126] In the fifth embodiment, each U-shaped clip rivet 284 connects only two plate members to each other, i.e., in the first case, the spacer flange 34 and the outer flange 32 are connected to each other, and in the second case, the reinforcing flange 70 and the inner flange 30 are connected to each other. Therefore, the length of the U-shaped clip rivet 284 is smaller than the length of the rivet 284 in the foregoing mode, which is measured parallel to the main axis A11.

[0127] When manufacturing the fastener 28, before performing the third assembly step described for the first embodiment, the inner fastener 28A and the outer fastener 28B are first assembled separately by the U-shaped clip rivet 284.

[0128] The rod 11 without a strut in the fifth embodiment is less rigid than the rod in the fourth embodiment, and at the same time, when the rollers 24A and 24B are supported on the followers 22A and 22B of the cam 22, good force transmission can be maintained at the level of each of the inner fastener 28A or the outer fastener 28B, which reduces the bending deformation of the attachment device 28 on either side of the intermediate plane P11.

[0129] More generally, regardless of the embodiment, the inner fastener 28A and the outer fastener 28B of the attachment device 28 include one or more parts formed of plates. The attachment device 28 also includes a strut 36 in the form of a ring or a strut 436 formed of a plate, or even does not include a spacer when appropriate. Therefore, the production of the components of the attachment device 28 is easy and economical.

[0130] The respective components of the attachment device 28 are also easy to assemble. These components support each other flatly and are preferably assembled by cold riveting, which reduces the risk of geometric deformation of the output rod 11 after assembly.

[0131] In all embodiments, the fastener 280 for attaching the inner flange 30 and the outer flange 32 to the roller 24A is a rivet. In a variant not shown, other fasteners can be used, especially reversible fasteners such as screws and nuts. The reversible fasteners allow for easy replacement of defective components when necessary. In this case, the screw head and the nut are preferably milled and received in the complementary recesses of the inner flange 30 and the outer flange 32 so as not to add extra thickness to the attachment device 28 and not to increase the risk of contacting adjacent output rods. Therefore, since the driven roller is a particularly stressed component and has a higher failure risk than other components of the output rod 11, the roller rivet 280 can be replaced by the operator.

[0132] In all the embodiments shown, the rolling elements 244 of the rollers 24A and 24B are rollers. The present invention can also be implemented using rollers in which the rolling elements 244 are balls.

[0133] The above-described embodiments and variations can be combined with each other to produce new embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. An output rod (11) with a cam follower roller of a cam shed forming mechanism, the output rod comprising a body (110) and two follower rollers (24A, 24B), wherein: - The body of the output rod is formed by a plate having two opposite faces (112, 114) between which an intermediate plane (P11) is defined. The body of the output rod comprises a central portion (116) having two opposite surfaces (117A, 117B), two attachment portions (122A, 122B) and an extension (15). An opening (118) is formed in the central portion (116) and centered on a main axis (A11) so as to receive a bearing (120). The attachment portions and the extension are formed radially with respect to the main axis and are different from each other. - Each follower roller (24A, 24B) is offset from the intermediate plane (P11) along the main axis (A11), and each follower roller (24A, 24B) comprises an inner ring (240), an outer ring (242) and rolling elements (244) disposed between the inner ring and the outer ring such that the outer ring rotates freely relative to the inner ring about a roller axis (A24) parallel to the main axis (A11). The outer ring has a contact surface (S242) which is radial with respect to the roller axis (A24) and is intended for contact with the followers (22A, 22B) of a cam (22) of the shed forming mechanism (10). - Each follower roller (24A, 24B) is connected to a corresponding attachment portion (122A, 122B) by a corresponding attachment means (28). Each attachment means comprises an inner fastener (28A) located on one side of the other follower roller (24B, 24A) with respect to the inner ring and an outer fastener (28B) located on the opposite side of the other follower roller (24B, 24A) with respect to the inner ring. The inner fastener and the outer fastener each comprise one or more flanges (30, 32, 34; 30, 32, 34, 70), each of the one or more flanges (30, 32, 34; 30, 32, 34, 70) being formed by a plate, and the one or more flanges (30, 32, 34; 30, 32, 34, 70) support and connect to each other in parallel planes. - Each follower roller (24A, 24B) is mounted in a U - shaped manner between an inner flange (30) of the inner fastener (28A) and an outer flange (32) of the outer fastener (28B) and is fixed to the inner flange (30) and the outer flange (32) by a fastener (280). - The outer fastener (28B) is assembled to the corresponding attachment portions (122A, 122B) by a stem rivet (282), and the outer fastener (28B) is supported on one of the surfaces (112, 114) of the corresponding attachment portions (122A, 122B) in parallel planes such that the contact surfaces (S242) of the two driven rollers are located on both sides of the intermediate plane (P11). Wherein: - At least one of the driven rollers, which is referred to as the first driven roller, is fixed to the first attachment portion of the two attachment portions (122A, 122B) by a first attachment device in the attachment device (28). - The first attachment portion of the output rod (11) includes two opposite surfaces (123A, 123B), the two surfaces (123A, 123B) are connected to each other by a flange (124), and the two surfaces (123A, 123B) are separated from each other by a distance equal to the thickness of the central portion (116). It is characterized in that: - Each of the two surfaces (123A, 123B) of the first attachment portion is coplanar with the corresponding surfaces (117A, 117B) of the central portion (116), and - The contact surface (S242) of the first driven roller is positioned opposite to the flange (124) of the first attachment portion.

2. The output rod (11) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inner fastener (28A) and the outer fastener (28B) of the first attachment device in the attachment device (28) are connected by a U-shaped clip rivet (284).

3. The output rod (11) according to claim 2, wherein, The outer fastener (28B) includes an outer flange (32) and a spacer flange (34), each of the outer flange and the spacer flange is formed by a corresponding plate and is connected together by riveting. The outer flange (32) has an inner surface (32A) and an opposite outer surface (32B). The inner surface of the outer flange supports on the first driven rollers (24A, 24B). The outer flange (32) is fixed to the first driven rollers by the fasteners (280), while the spacer flange (34) is assembled to the first attachment portion by the stem rivet (282). The spacer flange (34) is placed between the outer flange (32) and the first attachment portion so as to offset the inner surface (32A) of the outer flange from the first surface of the two surfaces (123B, 123A) of the first attachment portion.

4. The output rod (11) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The inner fastener (28A) of the first attachment device in the attachment device (28) includes an inner flange (30) which is provided by a plate and has an outer surface (30B) and an opposite inner surface (30A), and the inner flange (30) rests on the first driven rollers (24A, 24B). The inner flange is fixed to the first driven rollers by the fasteners (280), and the inner flange (30) is supported on the outer fastener (28B) by one or more struts (36; 436) provided by a plate, such that the inner surface (30A) of the inner flange (30) and the inner surface (32A) of the outer flange (32) are parallel to each other and are separated by a distance equal to the thickness (E24) of the first driven rollers except for the assembly gap.

5. The output rod (11) according to claim 4, characterized in that, Each strut (36; 436) is fixed to the inner flange (30) and the outer fastener (28B) by one or more U - clip rivets (284).

6. The output rod (11) according to claim 5, characterized in that, The one or more U - clip rivets (284) fix the spacer flange (34) of the outer fastener (28B) and each strut (36; 436) to the inner flange (30) of the inner fastener (28A) and the outer flange (32) of the outer fastener (28B).

7. The output lever (11) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The inner fastener (28A) includes a reinforcing flange (70) which is formed by a plate and has an inner surface (70A) and an opposite outer surface (70B). The inner surface of the reinforcing flange abuts against the outer surface (30B) of the inner flange (30) and the second surface of the two surfaces (123A, 123B) of the first attachment portion. The reinforcing flange (70) is fixed to the first attachment portion by the rod rivet (282) on one hand and fixed to the inner flange (30) by the U - clip rivet (284) on the other hand.

8. The output rod (11) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The two driven rollers (24A, 24B) are mounted to the corresponding attachment portions in the two attachment portions (122A, 122B) through corresponding attachment devices (28), and each attachment device is similar to the first attachment device in the attachment device (28).

9. The output rod (11) according to claim 8, characterized in that, The outer flanges (32) of the two attachment devices (28) are the same.

10. The output lever (11) according to claim 8, characterized in that, The inner flanges (30) of the two attachment devices (28) are the same.

11. The output rod (11) according to claim 8, characterized in that, Each attachment device (28) includes two fasteners (280). Each inner ring (240) has a disc - shaped form centered on the corresponding roller axis (A24) and defines an inner half - disc (240A) and an outer half - disc (240B) complementary to the inner half - disc. The inner half - disc of each driven roller (24A, 24B) is located on one side of the other driven roller (24B, 24A), and the fasteners (280) of each driven roller are formed in the outer half - disc (240B) of that driven roller.

12. The output rod (11) according to claim 11, characterized in that, The fastener is a rivet.

13. A mechanical cam shed forming mechanism (10), characterized in that, The mechanical cam shedding forming mechanism (10) includes an output rod (11) according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

14. A loom (M) comprising a mechanical cam shedding mechanism (10), characterized in that, The mechanical cam shedding forming mechanism (10) is the mechanical cam shedding forming mechanism according to claim 13.

15. A method of assembling the output rod (11) according to claim 4, characterized in that, For at least one of the follower rollers (24A, 24B), the method comprises the following steps: a) Stacking the inner flange (30), the strut (36; 436), the spacer flange (34) and the outer flange (32) in a positioning tool such that all through holes (291, 352, 290; 439, 441) of the U-shaped clip rivet (284) are aligned; b) Inserting the U-shaped clip rivet (284) into the corresponding through holes and then deforming the U-shaped clip rivet under pressure such that the inner flange (30), the strut (36; 436), the spacer flange (34) and the outer flange (32) are connected to each other and together form a fastener sub-assembly; c) Positioning the outer fastener (28B) of the fastener sub-assembly on the corresponding attachment portion of two attachment portions (122A, 122B) such that through holes (126, 350, 288) of the rod rivet (282) are aligned; d) Inserting the rod rivet (282) into the corresponding through holes (126, 350, 288) and then deforming the rod rivet (282) under pressure so as to fix the fastener sub-assembly to the corresponding attachment portion; e) Positioning the follower rollers (24A, 24B) between the inner flange (30) and the outer flange (32) of the corresponding attachment device (28) such that through holes (286, 248) of the fastener (280) are aligned; and f) Inserting the fastener (280) into the corresponding through holes (286, 248) and then deforming the fastener (280) under pressure so as to fix the follower roller to the fastener sub-assembly.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein The inner fastener (28A) includes a reinforcing flange (70), the reinforcing flange (70) being formed of a plate and having an inner surface (70A) and an opposite outer surface (70B), the inner surfaces of the reinforcing flange commonly adjoining the outer surface (30B) of the inner flange (30) and the second surface of two surfaces (123A, 123B) of the first attachment portion of the two attachment portions (122A, 122B), the reinforcing flange (70) being fixed to the first attachment portion by the rod rivet (282) on the one hand and to the inner flange (30) by the U-shaped clip rivet (284) on the other hand, wherein, in step a), the reinforcing flange (70) is placed together with the inner flange (30), and, after step b), the reinforcing flange (70) is part of the fastener sub-assembly.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein The method includes an intermediate step (g) after step d) and before step e), the intermediate step (g) including reworking the hole (286) through which the fastener (280) passes and the opening (118) of the body (110) of the output rod (11).

Images