EP0478855A1

EP0478855A1 - Method of knitting fabric and circular knitting machine for this use

Info

Publication number: EP0478855A1
Application number: EP90310910A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Shinji Kawase; Shozo Yorisue
Original assignee: Precision Fukuhara Works Ltd
Current assignee: Precision Fukuhara Works Ltd
Priority date: 1990-10-04
Filing date: 1990-10-04
Publication date: 1992-04-08

Abstract

The amount of vertical movement imparted to knitting needles (20) during stitch loop formation is reduced by supporting special types of sinkers (8) for movement in a radial direction along an inwardly and downwardly inclined path of travel relative to the needles (20). As the knitting needles (20) are raised to the latch clearing level, the sinkers (8) are moved inwardly and downwardly to lower the level of the stitch forming ledge (8a) thereof so that the amount of vertical upward movement of the needles (20) is reduced. As the needles (20) are then lowered to stitch drawing level, the sinkers (8) are simultaneously moved outwardly and upwardly to raise the stitch drawing ledge (8a) so that a portion of the length of the stitch being formed is determined by the amount of downward movement of the needle (20) and the remaining portion of the length of the stitch being formed is determined by the amount of upward movement of the sinkers (8).

Description

This invention relates generally to a method of knitting fabric and the circular knitting machine for carrying out this method wherein the vertical length of travel of the needles is reduced by lowering the stitch forming ledge of the sinkers as the needles are being raised to clearing level and raising the stitch forming ledge of the sinkers as the needles are being drawn downwardly to stitch drawing level, and more particularly to such a method and machine wherein the sinkers are supported for inward and outward movement between the needles along a downwardly inclined path of travel and with the sinkers being moved outwardly and upwardly as the needles are drawn downwardly to raise the level of the stitch drawing ledge during stitch loop formation and with the sinkers being moved inwardly and downwardly as the needles are raised so that the shed stitch loops are moved inwardly by the nebs of the sinkers.
In copending United States Patent Application Serial No. 07/362,046, filed June 6, 1989, which was a Continuation-in-Part of United States Patent Application Serial No. 07/292,253, filed December 30, 1988 and now abandoned, an improvement over a conventional knitting machine was disclosed where the amount of vertical movement imparted to latch needles in a circular knitting machine was reduced by supporting special types of sinkers for movement in a radial direction and along an inwardly and downwardly inclined path of travel relative to the needles. The sinkers were disclosed as having an outer portion with a lower planar sliding edge and an inner portion with a lower planar sliding edge thereon being positioned at a lower level than the other sliding edge, and a planar stitch drawing ledge on the inner end portion of the body portion which includes a neb extending over the outer portion of the stitch drawing ledge and which defines a throat between the neb and outer portion of the stitch drawing ledge. As needles are raised to latch clearing level, the sinkers are moved inwardly and downwardly to lower the level of the stitch forming ledge thereof so that the amount of vertical movement of the needles is reduced. As the needles are then lowered to stitch drawing level, the inner and outer portions of the sinkers are slidably supported. The sinkers are simultaneously moved outwardly and upwardly to raise the stitch drawing ledge so that a portion of the length of the stitch being formed is determined by the amount of downward movement of the needle and the remaining portion of the length of the stitch being formed is determined by the amount of upward movement of the sinkers.
This was seen as an improvement over more conventional knitting machines where the angle of inclination of the knitting cams must be very steep so as to assure that an adequate clearing height is provided. The steep angle of inclination of the knitting cams found in more conventional knitting machines imparts a very high speed of movement to the latch during opening and closing motions. This is also an improvement over the prior art discussed in copending United States Patent Application Serial No. 07/362,046 in which the stitch drawing ledge of the sinkers is raised during the downward movement of the needles.
Heretofore, only the use of latch needles in a knitting machine for knitting plain jersey fabric has been disclosed in commonly assigned copending United States Patent Application Serial No. 07/362,046. It has been determined that the method of reducing vertical movement of the latch needles during stitch loop formation by supporting special types of sinkers for movement in a radial direction and along an inwardly and downwardly inclined path of travel relative to the latch needles is desirable for use not only with a circular knitting machine having compound needles, but also a knitting machine adapted for producing a jacquard fabric where various types of pattern selection means is used.
With the foregoing in mind, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method of knitting jacquard fabric on a circular knitting machine provided with a pattern wheel, a pattern drum, or electronic pattern control device and wherein the stress imparted to the needles and the sinkers is reduced to permit high speed knitting and increased productivity in a highly efficient manner.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus of knitting fabric on a circular knitting machine having compound needles and wherein the stress imparted to the needles and the sinkers is reduced so as to permit high speed knitting and increased productivity in a highly efficient manner.
In accordance with the present invention, a plurality of needles are supported in a rotating needle cylinder for vertical movement parallel to the axis of rotation of the needle cylinder. Knitting cams surround the needle cylinder and are operable to successively raise the needles to a clearing level to pick up the yarn and to lower the needles to a stitch loop forming level. Sinkers are supported for inward and outward movement between the needles. A stitch drawing ledge and neb on the inner end portion of each of the sinkers cooperates with adjacent needles in the formation of knit stitch loops. The sinkers are supported for movement in a radial direction and along a downwardly inclined path of travel between the needles. The sinker support comprises a rotatable ring located exteriorly of the needle cylinder. Radially extending slots are formed in the ring which slidably receive and support the outer end portions of the sinkers therein. A rotatable sinker nose ring is supported on the upper end of the needle cylinder. Radially extending slots are formed in the sinker nose ring and slidably receive and support the inner end portions of the sinkers therein. The slots in the ring and the sinker nose ring are inclined downwardly and inwardly toward the needles.
In order that the present invention may be more readily understood, reference will now be made to the drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through the needle cylinder of a knitting machine and illustrating the manner in which the sinkers are mounted for radial sliding movement along a downwardly inclined path of travel relative to the needles;
Figure 2 is a side elevational view of one of the special type of sinkers utilized in the present invention;
Figure 3 is a somewhat schematic developed elevational view showing the paths of travel of the needles and associated sinkers at one yarn feeding position and illustrating a side elevational view of a needle in the inner portion of an associated sinker;
Figures 4-12 are side elevations of the upper portions of the needles and associated sinkers showing their relationship during the successive steps of forming a stitch loop and shedding a previously formed stitch loop from the needles, and being taken along their respective section lines 4-4 through 12-12 of Figure 3;
Figure 13 is a somewhat schematic developed elevational view showing the paths of travel of the compound needles and the associated sinkers at one yarn feeding position and illustrating a side elevational view of an associated sinker;
Figures 14-20 are side elevations of the upper portions of compound needles and associated sinkers showing their relationship during the successive steps of forming a stitch loop and shedding a previously formed stitch loop from the needles, and being taken along their respective section lines 14-14 through 20-20 of Figure 13;
Figure 21 is a side elevational view of one of the special type of sinkers utilized in the present invention in accordance with a second embodiment such as may be used with a compound needle;
Figure 22 is a vertical sectional view through the needle cylinder of a circular knitting machine provided with a pattern wheel for knitting a jacquard fabric and also illustrating the manner in which the sinkers are mounted for radial sliding movement along a downwardly inclined path of travel relative to the needles;
Figure 23 is a vertical sectional view through the needle cylinder of a circular knitting machine provided with a pattern drum for knitting a jacquard fabric and also illustrating the manner in which the sinkers are mounted for radial sliding movement along a downwardly inclined path of travel relative to the needles;
Figure 24 is a vertical sectional view through the needle of the cylinder of a circular knitting machine provided with an electronic pattern control device for knitting a jacquard fabric and illustrating the manner in which the sinkers are mounted for radial sliding movement along a downwardly inclined path of travel relative to the needles.

Figures 1-12 disclose a knitting machine and method of operation using latch needles as disclosed in copending United States Patent Application Serial No. 07/362,046, filed June 6, 1989. As shown in Figure 1, a rotating needle cylinder 1 is supported on a driven ring gear 12 and the outside surface of the needle cylinder 1 is provided with the usual needle slots 1 a in which hooked latch needles, broadly indicated at 2, are supported for vertical movement parallel to the axis of rotation of the needle cylinder 1. Each knitting needle 2 is provided with an operating butt, as indicated at 2a (Figure 1), a hook 2b, and a pivoted latch 2c (Figure 3). Conventional knitting cams, including stitch cam means supported on cam plates 4, are provided for imparting vertical movement to the knitting needles 2. The cam plates 4 are supported on the inner surface of a cam holder ring 3 which is fixed on a cam ring plate 5.
A sinker nose support ring 6 is fixed on the upper inner surface of the needle cylinder 1 and is provided with a downwardly and inwardly inclined surface 6a defined by the lower surfaces of sinker slots 6b provided in the upper end of the sinker nose support ring 6. A sinker support bed 7 is fixed to the exterior of the upper end of the needle cylinder 1 and is provided with a downwardly and inwardly inclined sinker sliding surface 7a defined by the lower ends of sinker slots formed in the sinker bed 7 and at the same downwardly inclined angle as the sinker sliding surface 6a of the sinker nose ring 6. As illustrated, the sinker sliding surface 7a is located at a lower level than the sinker sliding surface 6a.
Special types of sinkers, broadly indicated at 8, cooperate with the needles 2 to form stitch loops and are supported for movement in a radial direction and along a downwardly and inwardly inclined path of travel between the needles 2. Inward and outward radial sliding movement of the sinkers 8 along the downwardly and inwardly inclined path of travel is controlled by sinker cams 10 supported in a fixed position on a sinker cap 9. Sinker cap 9 is in turn supported on a sinker cap ring 11 which is supported in spaced-apart locations on the upper ends of support standards 13 surrounding the needle cylinder 1. As will be noted, the sinker cams 10 are supported in a downwardly inclined position at the same downwardly inclined angle as the inclined sliding surfaces 6a and 7a on the respective nose ring 6 and sinker bed 7. The sinker sliding surfaces 6a and 7a are illustrated in Figure 1 as being downwardly and inwardly inclined at an angle of 20 relative to a line perpendicular to the vertically disposed needles 2. While this 20° downwardly inclined angle is preferred, the sinker sliding surface is not limited to this particular angular inclination but may be positioned at an angle of from 5 to 60°, and preferably within the range of 10 ° to 45°.
As best shown in Figure 2, the outer portion of the special sinker 8 includes an elongate body portion having an outer lower planar sliding edge 8e adapted to rest upon and slide along the inclined surface 7a of the sinker bed 7. The sinker 8 also includes an inner lower planar sliding edge 8b adapted to rest on and be slidably supported along the inclined sliding surface 6a of the sinker nose ring 6. A stitch drawing ledge 8a is provided on the upper inner portion of the sinker and a neb 8d extends over the outer portion of the stitch drawing ledge 8a and defines a sinker throat 8c between the neb 8d and the outer portion of the stitch drawing ledge 8a. An upstanding operating butt 8f is provided on the outer end portion of the elongated body portion of the sinker 8. The butt 8f extends upwardly at a right angle from the body portion of the sinker 8 and is adapted to be engaged by the sinker cams 10 to impart the required inward and outward radial movement to the sinkers 8.
In conventional sinkers, the stitch drawing ledge extends along a line which is parallel with the lower planar sliding edge of the sinker. In contrast to this conventional construction, the present special type of sinker is characterized by the stitch drawing ledge 8a being slanted downwardly toward the operating butt 8f on the outer end portion of the elongate body portion of sinker 8. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the stitch drawing ledge 8a is slanted downwardly toward the operating butt 8f. Thus, the downwardly inclined or outwardly slanting stitch drawing ledge 8a of the sinker 8 is different from the normal type of sinker in which the stitch drawing ledge extends parallel to the lower planar sliding edge of the sinker. The present sinker is also different from the special sinkers of the type disclosed in U.S. Patent Nos. 3,837,185 and 3,986,371 wherein the stitch drawing ledge slants downwardly or inwardly in the direction of the inner end of the sinker.
In Figure 3, the solid line 50 indicates the path of travel of the top of the hook of the knitting needle 2 during a knitting cycle while the dash-dot line 52 indicates the path of travel of the stitch drawing ledge 8a of the sinker 8 during a knitting cycle. The solid line 51 indicates the normal horizontal path of travel of conventional sinkers. A yarn feed finger 54, positioned at one knitting station, is shown in position to feed a yarn 53 to the needles 2 as they are lowered to stitch forming level.
As the needles 2 successively approach the knitting station they are successively raised to the clearing level along the solid line 50 in Figure 3 to a position where the previously formed loops surrounding the shank of the needle are lowered below the tip of the latch, as shown in Figure 4. At the same time, the sinkers 8 are moved inwardly and downwardly along the downwardly inclined path of travel 52 between the needles so that the fabric is moved inwardly by the neb 8d to maintain the previously formed stitch loop below the tip of the latch and in tight engagement with the shank of the needle, as shown in Figure 4. The inward and downward movement of the sinker 8 lowers the position of the stitch drawing ledge 8a below the normal horizontal path of travel, as indicated by the dash-dot line 52 in Figure 3, so that the needles 2 do not have to be raised as high to reach clear level as would be the case if the sinkers 8 were maintained at a higher level, as indicated by the solid line 51 in Figure 3.
While the needles 2 are in the raised latch clearing position, the yarn 53 is fed to the needles and the needles are lowered while the sinkers 8 begin to move outwardly and upwardly along the downwardly inclined path of travel, as illustrated in Figure 5. With further downward vertical movement of the needles 2, as indicated in Figure 6, the previously formed stitch loop closes the latch and the sinker 8 continues to move outwardly and upwardly so that the yarn in the hook of the needle will be drawn downwardly over the stitch drawing ledge 8a while the stitch drawing ledge 8a remains in the highest level, as illustrated in Figures 7-9.
While the yarn is being drawn down over the stitch drawing ledge 8a, both the outer and inner portions of the sinkers 8 are being supported. As shown in Figures 7-10, the lower planar sliding edge 8b on the inner end, or nose, of the sinker 8 is slidably supported on the downwardly and inwardly inclined surface 6a of the sinker nose support ring 6. The lower planar sliding edge 8e on the outer end portion of the sinker 8 is slidably supported on the downwardly and inwardly inclined surface 7a of the sinker bed 7. Thus, both the inner and outer portions of the sinkers 8 are supported as the needles are drawn down to stitch forming level.
As the needle 2 begins to move upwardly from the lower stitch drawing level, as indicated in Figure 10, the sinker 8 begins to move inwardly and downwardly so that the previously formed stitch loop shed from the upper end of the hook of the needle 2 is engaged by the neb 8d and moved inwardly to aid in shedding the stitch loop from the needle. This inward and downward movement of the sinkers 8 insures that the raising needles 2 do not again pass upwardly through the shed stitch loop. The sinkers 8 continue to move the fabric inwardly and downwardly as the needle 2 continues to rise, as shown in Figures 11 and 12, so that the newly formed stitch loop is maintained in engagement with the outer surface of the needle shank and imparts a positive opening motion to the latches of the needles. With further vertical upward movement of the needles 2, the sinker 8 is maintained in the innermost and lowermost position while the formed stitch loop moves below the latch tip and is maintained on the outer surface of the needle shank by the sinker, as illustrated in Figure 4, to begin another knitting cycle. This knitting cycle is repeated at each of the subsequent knitting stations around the needle cylinder to form the knit fabric.
In accordance with the present invention, the sinkers are supported around the outside of the upper end of the needle cylinder and both the inner and outer portions are supported for movement in a radial direction along a downwardly inclined path of travel between the needles. When stitch loops are being formed, the stitch drawing ledge of the sinker moves outwardly and upwardly along the downwardly inclined path of travel of the sinkers and the needles are drawn downwardly while the stitch drawing ledge is maintained at its upper level so that the distance the needle must be lowered to stitch forming level is considerably reduced and the angle of inclination of the knitting cams can be reduced. When the needles are raised to the clearing level, the stitch drawing ledges of the sinkers are moved to their innermost downward level so that the knitting needles do not need to be raised as high as they would normally be if the sinkers were moved in a horizontal path of travel. Therefore, it is not necessary to raise the knitting needles as high as would normally be required by the knitting cams to obtain the latch clearing level.
In the conventional knitting method, yarns have a tendency to break when the angle of the stitch forming cams is steep and a relatively weak yarn is being knit. By reducing the steep angle of inclination of the stitch cams, in accordance with the present invention, and forming a portion of the length of stitch by raising the stitch drawing ledge of the sinker to reduce the length of vertical downward movement of the needle, the yarn is fed to a smaller number of needles as they are being drawn downwardly toward stitch forming level. Thus, the passage of the yarn from one needle to the next during the stitch forming cycle is easier and less yarn breakage occurs, even when knitting a relatively weak yarn.
In the embodiment of Figures 13-20 knitting machine is of similar construction to that shown in Figures 1-12. However, instead of latch needles, compound needles 20 are used to aid in knitting a jacquard fabric or other fabric in which the use of compound needles is desirable. Major elements of the knitting machine are substantially the same as the corresponding elements described in reference to Figure 1. Although control cams are not illustrated in detail, the knitting machine may be provided with a variation in the control cams for use with the compound needles and the shape of the yarn carriers may be somewhat different. In Figures 14-20, the compound needle 20 includes body 20a and slider 20c. In Figure 13, the locus of motion for the cylinder compound needle and sinker is depicted showing the outline of a part of the knitting process. A solid line 60 shows the locus of motion of the tip of the hook 20b of compound needle 20. Line 61 shows the locus of motion for the tip of the needle slider 20c. Dotted line 62 shows the locus of motion for sinker throat, and the double dotted line 63 shows the locus of vertical motion of the sinker 8. Yarn carrier 54 is positioned at each feeding position to feed a yarn 53 to the compound needles 20.
Referring now to Figure 21, another embodiment of the special type of sinker which can be used in the present invention is broadly indicated at 80. The motion of the sinker 80 is the same as that illustrated in Figure 2 and described before. Sinker 80 can be adapted for use with a knitting machine having compound needles and especially is adapted for use with a knitting machine for knitting a jacquard fabric. Sinker 80 cooperates with the compound needles 20 to form stitch loops and is supported for movement in a radial direction and along a downwardly and inwardly inclined path of travel between the needles 20. Sinker 80 includes any elongated body portion having an outer lower planar sliding edge 80e aligned with an inner lower planar sliding edge 80b. Instead of having the planar sliding edge 8d adapted to rest upon and slide along the inclined surface 7a of the sinker bed and lower planar sliding edge 8b adapted to rest on and be slidably supported along inclined sliding surface 6a of sinker nose ring 6, both surfaces are adapted to slide along a sinker slot in the sinker bed 7. Stitch drawing ledge 80a is provided on the upper inner portion of the sinker and a neb 80d extends over the outer portion of the stitch drawing ledge 8a to define a sinker throat 80c between the neb 80d and the outer portion of the stitch drawing ledge 80a. An upstanding operating butt 80f is provided on the outer end portion of the elongated body portion of the sinker 80. The butt 80f extends upwardly at a right angle from the body portion of the sinker 80 and is adapted to be engaged by the sinker cams 10 to impart the required inward and outward radial movement to the sinkers 80.
At the bottom of the stitch point illustrated in Figure 14, the hook 20b of the needle is closed by slider 20c. The loop forming process has been completed and the yarn 53 is drawn from the sinker stitch drawing ledge 8a to a loop of necessary length. The sinker 8 is at its most outward and upward position along the downwardly inclined path of travel so that the distance the needle must be lowered to the stitch forming level is reduced and the angle of inclination of the knitting cams is reduced also.
At this time the body 20a of the compound needle begins to rise (Figure 15) and the sinker is moved inwardly and downwardly along the path of travel between the compound needles. As the body 20a of the compound needle rises further, slider 20c is lowered to a set open position as illustrated in Figures 16 and 17. At this time the sinker has advanced to its most forward position so that the fabric is moved inwardly by the neb 80d to maintain the previously formed stitch loop below the upper end of the slider and in tight engagement with the shank of a needle, as shown in Figure 17. The inward and downward movement of the sinker 8 lowers the position of the stitch drawing ledge 8a below the normal horizontal path of travel so that the needles 20 do not have to be raised as high to reach a clearing level as would be the case if the sinkers 8 were maintained at a higher level.
When the needle reaches the highest position (Figure 18) the yarn 53 is fed by the yarn carrier 54. The needle hook 20b catches the yarn 53 as the body 20a descends, as shown in Figure 19, and the slider 20c rises to the highest point and the hook 20b is closed. The sinker 8 is moved upwardly along the inclined path of travel.
As the compound needle is lowered further, the prior formed loop on the body 20a clears the hook 20b. The compound needle descends to the lowest point and the yarn 53 contained in the hook of the needle is drawn downwardly over the stitch drawing ledge 8a of the sinker 8. The sinker 8 is moved upwardly so that the stitch drawing ledge 8a is raised and remains in the highest level, as illustrated in Figure 20. At this stage, a complete cycle of the knitting process has been completed.
Referring now to Figures 22 through 24, there are disclosed knitting machines similar in construction to the knitting machines disclosed in Figure 1. However, these embodiments include pattern selection means for knitting a jacquard fabric. The knitting machine can be used efficiently with compound needles for producing the jacquard fabric. The pattern selection means is positioned to act upon the needles directly or rockingjacks (not shown) may be associated with the needles for selecting individual needles during the knitting process. As illustrated in Figure 22, the pattern selection means is illustrated in the form of a pattern wheel, broadly indicated at 70. In Figure 24, the pattern selection means is illustrated in the form of a pattern drum, broadly indicated at 72. In Figure 25, the pattern selection means is illustrated in the form of an electronic patterning device, broadly indicated at 73. Operation of the sinker during the knitting of a jacquard fabric is similar to the beforementioned method of operation. Only the type of needle selection means being used will vary during the knitting process.

Claims

1. A method of knitting fabric such as a on a circular knitting machine including a plurality of compound needles (20) supported in a rotating needle cylinder (1) for vertical movement parallel to the axis of rotation of the needle cylinder, each of said compound needles (20) having a hook (20b) and slider (20c), said circular knitting machine including knitting cam means (4) surrounding said needle cylinder (1) and being operable to successively raise said needles (20) to a stitch loop forming level, sinkers (8) supported for inward and outward movement between said needles (20), and a stitch drawing ledge (8a) and a neb (8d) on the inner end portion of each of the sinkers (8) and cooperating with adjacent needles in the formation of knit stitch loops, said machine including a rotatable sinker support ring (7) located exteriorly of the needle cylinder (1) for movement of the sinkers (8) in a radial direction and along a downwardly inclined path of travel between the needles (20), and the inner end portions of the sinkers (8) are supported on a sinker nose support ring (6) for movement along the downwardly inclined path of travel, said method being characterized by the steps of feeding a yarn (53) to the needles (20) while in raised clearing level, moving the needles (20) downwardly and drawing the yarn (53) downward therewith while moving the slider (20c) to a closed position to secure the yarn (53) within the needle hook (20b), simultaneously moving said sinkers (8) in an outwardly and upwardly direction along the downward inclined path of travel while the needles (20) are being lowered to move the stitch drawing ledge (8a) vertically upward so that the stitch drawing ledge (8a) engages the yarn (53) and cooperates with the associated adjacent needles (20) to form stitch loops of a length determined by the amount of upward vertical movement imparted to the stitch forming ledge (8a) of said sinker (8) and the amount of vertical downward movement imparted to said needles (20), successively moving the needles (20) upwardly after forming the stitch loop while lowering the slider (20c) on the needle, and while simultaneously moving the sinkers (8) in an inwardly and downwardly direction along the downwardly inclined path of travel to engage the sinker nebs (8d) with the fabric and move the same inwardly and downwardly to aid in shedding the stitch loops from the needles (20) as they are raised with the newly formed stitch loop thereon.

2. A method according to Claim 1 and being further characterized in that a jacquard fabric is knit, and wherein pattern selection means (70,72,73) is provided to control the knitting by the compound needles (20).

3. A method according to Claim 2 and being further characterized in that said pattern selection means comprises a pattern wheel (70).

4. A method according to Claim 2 and being further characterized in that said pattern selection means comprises a pattern drum (72).

5. A method according to Claim 2 and being further characterized in that said pattern selection means comprises an electronic patterning device (73).

6. In a circular knitting machine including a plurality of compound needles (20) supported in a rotating needle cylinder (1) for vertical movement parallel to the axis of rotation of the needle cylinder, knitting cam means (4) surrounding said needle cylinder (1) and being operable to successively raise said needles (20) to a clearing level to pick up a yarn (53) and then lower said needles (20) to a stitch loop forming level, sinkers (8) supported for inward and outward movement between said needles (20), and a stitch drawing ledge (8a) and a neb (8d) on the inner end portion of each of said sinkers (8) and cooperating with adjacent needles (20) in the formation of knit stitch loops, said machine being characterized by means for supporting said sinkers (8) for movement in a radial direction and along a downwardly inclined path of travel between said needles (20), said sinker support means comprising a rotatable sinker support ring (7) located exteriorly of said needle cylinder (1), radially extending slots (7a) formed in said ring for slidably receiving and supporting the outer end portions of said sinkers (8) therein, a rotatable sinker nose support ring (6) supported on the upper end of said needle cylinder (1), radially extending slots (6a) formed in said sinker nose support ring (6) for slidably receiving and supporting the inner end portions of said sinkers (8) therein, and wherein said slots (7a,6a) in said sinker support ring (7) and said sinker nose support ring (6) are inclined downwardly and inwardly toward said needles (20).

7. In circular knitting machine for knitting jacquard fabrics and the like including a plurality of needles (20) supported in a rotating needle cylinder (1) for vertical movement parallel to the axis of rotation of the needle cylinder (1), knitting cam means (4) surrounding said needle cylinder (1) and being operable to successively raise said needles (20) to a clearing level to pick up a yarn (53) and then lower said needles (20) to a stitch loop forming level, pattern selection means (70,72,73) for controlling selection of the needles (20) so as to aid in the formation of a jacquard knit fabric, sinkers (8) supported for inward and outward movement between said needles (20), and a stitch drawing ledge (8a) and a neb (8d) on the inner end portion of each of said sinkers (8) and cooperating with adjacent needles (20) in the formation of knit stitch loops, said machine being characterized by means for supporting said sinkers (8) for movement in a radial direction and along a downwardly inclined path of travel between said needles (20), said sinker support means comprising a rotatable sinker support ring (7) located exteriorly of said needle cylinder (1), radially extending slots (7a) formed in said sinker support ring (7) for slidably receiving and supporting the outer end portions of said sinkers (8) therein, a rotatable sinker nose support ring (6) supported on the upper end of said needle cylinder (1), radially extending slots (6a) formed in said sinker nose support ring (6) for slidably receiving and supporting the inner end portions of said sinkers (8) therein, and wherein said slots (7a,6a) in said sinker support ring (7) and said sinker nose support ring (6) are inclined downwardly and inwardly toward said needles.

8. A circular knitting machine according to Claim 7 and being further characterized in that said needles comprise compound needles (20).

9. A circular knitting machine according to Claim 7 and being further characterized in that said pattern selection means comprises a pattern wheel (70), a pattern drum (72) or an electronic pattern device (73).