Image Number 5 for United States Patent #5794665.
A Jacquard machine for the positive lifting and lowering of the warp threads in a weaving machine, without the employment of harness cords and a method of operating the Jacquard machine. The Jacquard machine includes for each of a hook (6) a bistable element. The bistable element is formed as an elastically deformable rod (1) or an elastically deformable leaf spring. Periodically, a mechanical deformation loading acts on the bistable element which takes the bistable element into one of two stable states in dependence upon a slight initial deflection. An initialization device (8) brings about a slight deflection of the bistable element before the action of the mechanical deformation loading, in view of which it is ensured that the bistable element takes up a particular one of its two stable states. A hook drive device for the implementing of the mechanical deformation loading on the bistable elements (1) has a loading device (31) for exercising the deformation loading, in which the bistable elements (1) are mounted at least one side thereof.