GB1584436A - Shogging control drums in circular knitting machines - Google Patents

Description

(54) SHOGGING CONTROL DRUMS IN CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES (71) We, ELITBX, Koncern Textilniho Strojirenstvi of Liberec, Czechoslovakia, a Corporate Body organised and existing under the laws of Czechoslovakia, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement The present invention relates to shogging control drums in circular knitting machines.

A circular knitting machine is known which is provided with a shogging device for the control drum, said device consisting of a set of cams for controlling the appurtenant pawls engaging the ratchet wheels which are arranged on the control drum. On the -ratchet wheels of the control drum are adjusted, in accordance with a program, the program elements for the separate pawls. Thus the shogging extent, or the angle of turning of the control drum, respectively, upon changes can be changed by means of distribution of the program elements. The actual operation of shogging is then controlled by a special locking device which controls all pawls.

This device operates very reliably, however its overall concept is rather complicated, from the viewpoint of construction elements, as well as from the viewpoint of actual control and programming.

The purpose of the present invention is to mitigate the said disadvantages and to provide a simpler device.

According to the present invention there is provided a circular knitting machine comprising a needle cylinder, cams rotatably driven from the needle cylinder, a pawl reciprocably driven from each cam, a control drum provided with ratchet wheels engageable by respective pawls for shogging the drum by respective different amounts, a lever associated with each pawl and movable between two positions in one of which the associated pawl engages its associated ratchet wheel and in the other of which the associated pawl is out of engagement with its associated ratchet wheel, and a program carrier for determining the position of each of the levers according to a program carried by the carrier.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side view of the separate parts of the shogging device with the more remote of two ratchet wheels of the control drum shogging device operational; and Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic plan view of the separate parts of the control drum shogging device.

A circular knitting machine for manufacturing hosiery goods is provided with a control drum 1 (Figs. 1,2) mounted rotatably on shaft 11 arranged firmly in the machine frame (not shown). On the control drum 1 are arranged ratchet wheels 2 and 3 with different numbers of teeth, ratchet wheel 3 having more teeth than ratchet wheel 2.

Driving pawls 4 and 5 co-operate with ratchet wheels 2 and 3 and are guided in an opening of holder 45 mounted firmly in the machine frame (not shown). Spring-loaded sensing levers 6 and 7, mounted pivotably on a common shaft 67 arranged in the machine frame are articulated to pawls 4 and 5. At the other ends of sensing levers 6 and 7 are mounted rotatably rollers 61 and 71, which cooperate with cams 8 and 9 mounted on a common shaft 89 arranged in the machine frame.

At the end of shaft 11 is arranged program carrier 10, which is driven independently by a shogging device (not shown), which has the purpose to control the time sequence of shogging operations of control drum 1 by means of program elements 11. The program carrier 10 can be made in the form of a control chain. Spring loaded levers 12 and 13 are urged into contact with program carrier 10.

Lever 12 is swingably arranged by its pin 120 in a not represented holder, which is fixed to the machine frame, arm 121 of said lever acting upon pin 51 on pawl 5. Lever 13 is mounted swingably on pin 120 of 12 and arm 131 thereof acts upon pin 41 on pawl 4.

The device specified above operates as follows: The program carrier 10 turns in the anticlockwise direction and its program elements 11 are arranged in such a manner that only one of levers 12 or 13 is controlled, to determine the extent of shogging of control drum 1. When lever 12 chooses, upon changing as shown in Fig. 1, ratchet 3 to be shogged and thus also cam 9, the shogging of control drum 1 is longer than when selecting ratchet 2, and cam 8. To achieve this, lever 12 is swung out by program element 11, thus the arm 121 thereof is lowered and permits the pawl 5 to be also lowered, whereupon the latter comes into position as shown in Fig. 1 and engages ratchet 3. Pawl 4 remains in its upper inoperative position, as represented by dash line C the position of its upper edge, the lever 13, or its arm 131, respectively, holding pawl 4 by means of pin 41.

Cams 8 and 9 are driven from a needle cylinder of the machine to perform a rotary motion and thus cause by intermediary of sensing levers 6 and 7 a reciprocating motion of pawls 4 and 5. Pawl 4 does not engage ratchet 2 and thus upon its back motion in the direction S, the vertical edge of recess V contacts holder 45, thus limiting the excessive travel thereof, thus also reducing the noise and wear between pin 41 and arm 131 of lever 13. Instead of a holder, another stop element might be also arranged there. The same applies to analogous elements when pawl 5 is inoperative. Pawl 5 engages ratchet 3 and thus causes shogging of control drum 1 and consequently an operation change in the machine.

Upon further turning of program carrier 10, the functions of levers 12, 13 can be changed or lever 12 can permit again shogging of ratchet 3. This depends on the phase of the knitting process of the machine and what angular displacement of the control drum is to be performed.

The advantage of the shogging device according to the present invention consists in that it is possible to choose two different angular displacement values for the control drum, this having an influence on the size of the control drum and thus also on using more operation segments in angular displacement, or m-ore functions upon changes for various kinds of knitted fabrics. This contributes to uniformity of machine equipment.

There can be even more shogging mechanisms and thus a larger variety of angular displacement values, this being suitable for knitting e.g. panty hose of one piece, where a great number of operations and corresponding changes of the control drum are encountered.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS 1. A circular knitting machine comprising a needle cylinder, cams rotatably driven from the needle cylinder, a pawl reciprocably driven from each cam, a control drum provided with ratchet wheels engageable by respective pawls for shogging-the drum by respective different amounts, a lever associated with each pawl and movable between two positions in one of which the associated pawl engages its associated ratchet wheel and in the other of which the associated pawl is out of engagement with its associated ratchet wheel, and a program carrier for determining the position of each of the levers according to a program carried by the carrier.

2. A circular knitting machine as claimed in Claim 1, wherein a stop element is arranged in the path of each pawl when out of engagement with its associated ratchet wheel to limit the travel of the pawl.

3. A circular knitting machine substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (3)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. The program carrier 10 turns in the anticlockwise direction and its program elements 11 are arranged in such a manner that only one of levers 12 or 13 is controlled, to determine the extent of shogging of control drum 1. When lever 12 chooses, upon changing as shown in Fig. 1, ratchet 3 to be shogged and thus also cam 9, the shogging of control drum 1 is longer than when selecting ratchet 2, and cam 8. To achieve this, lever 12 is swung out by program element 11, thus the arm 121 thereof is lowered and permits the pawl 5 to be also lowered, whereupon the latter comes into position as shown in Fig. 1 and engages ratchet 3. Pawl 4 remains in its upper inoperative position, as represented by dash line C the position of its upper edge, the lever 13, or its arm 131, respectively, holding pawl 4 by means of pin 41. Cams 8 and 9 are driven from a needle cylinder of the machine to perform a rotary motion and thus cause by intermediary of sensing levers 6 and 7 a reciprocating motion of pawls 4 and 5. Pawl 4 does not engage ratchet 2 and thus upon its back motion in the direction S, the vertical edge of recess V contacts holder 45, thus limiting the excessive travel thereof, thus also reducing the noise and wear between pin 41 and arm 131 of lever 13. Instead of a holder, another stop element might be also arranged there. The same applies to analogous elements when pawl 5 is inoperative. Pawl 5 engages ratchet 3 and thus causes shogging of control drum 1 and consequently an operation change in the machine. Upon further turning of program carrier 10, the functions of levers 12, 13 can be changed or lever 12 can permit again shogging of ratchet 3. This depends on the phase of the knitting process of the machine and what angular displacement of the control drum is to be performed. The advantage of the shogging device according to the present invention consists in that it is possible to choose two different angular displacement values for the control drum, this having an influence on the size of the control drum and thus also on using more operation segments in angular displacement, or m-ore functions upon changes for various kinds of knitted fabrics. This contributes to uniformity of machine equipment. There can be even more shogging mechanisms and thus a larger variety of angular displacement values, this being suitable for knitting e.g. panty hose of one piece, where a great number of operations and corresponding changes of the control drum are encountered. WHAT WE CLAIM IS

1. A circular knitting machine comprising a needle cylinder, cams rotatably driven from the needle cylinder, a pawl reciprocably driven from each cam, a control drum provided with ratchet wheels engageable by respective pawls for shogging-the drum by respective different amounts, a lever associated with each pawl and movable between two positions in one of which the associated pawl engages its associated ratchet wheel and in the other of which the associated pawl is out of engagement with its associated ratchet wheel, and a program carrier for determining the position of each of the levers according to a program carried by the carrier.

2. A circular knitting machine as claimed in Claim 1, wherein a stop element is arranged in the path of each pawl when out of engagement with its associated ratchet wheel to limit the travel of the pawl.

3. A circular knitting machine substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.