GB2168083A - Thread guides control device for a knitting machine - Google Patents

Abstract

A thread guides control device in a circular knitting machine especially for the production of hosiery and the like goods comprises a guides control drum (1) to which the guides (7) are allocated directly or through mechanical feeler means (5). The invention solves the thread guides control so that it can be used both for common knitting and to be set in and out of operation during one revolution of the machine in that the control lever (9) of an additional control means for the thread guide (7) is allocated to the control drum, the additional control device being connectably allocated either directly to the thread guide (7) or to the feeler means (5), e.g. so as to couple the latter to means (11-14) for setting the guide in an inoperative position when knitting the instep arc of a heel portion. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Thread guides control device This invention relates to a thread guides control device in a circular knitting machine especially for the production of hosiery and the like goods.

A small diameter circular knitting machine for the production of hosiery and the like goods is known which is provided in individual knitting feeds with thread guides controlled by levers and rods by the faces of the control drum of the machine where the program is set out by pins. One row of pins is allocated to each guide in the working feed.

But said device is not able, for example when knitting a rotary pouch heel or the toe or when reinforcing the fabric with an additional thread, once or several times during one revolution of the needle cylinder to set the thread guide in or out of operation.

The object of the invention is to eliminate the above mentioned shortcomings with minimum demand for built-up space so, that the same guide can be used both for common knitting and for setting in or out of operation during one revolution of the needle cylinder.

According to the invention there is provided a thread guides control device in a circular knitting machine especially for the production of hosiery and the like goods, comprising a guides control drum to which feeler and thread guide means are allocated, wherein at the control drum a control lever of an additional control means is arranged which is connectably allocated to the feeler and thread guide means.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an axonometric illustration of the device to control the thread guides with the thread guide in operational position, while the additional control device does not control the thread guide, Figure 2 is the same as in Fig. 1, but with the additional control device controlling the thread guide, Figure 3 is the same as in Figs. 1 and 2, but with the thread guide is set into inoperative position by the basic control means.

A known single-cylinder circular knitting machine for the production of hosiery and the like goods is provided in individual knitting feeds with control drums 1, the axes of rotation of said drums 1 are parallel to the axis of the needle cylinder 2, as described in Czechoslovak Patent Application No. 6584-81. A plate 3 is fixed to the upper face of each control drum 1, and is provided with openings for the pins 4 and is in fact a part of the control drum 1. In a feeler and thread guide means a feeler lever 5 is swingably mounted above the plate 3, the swing of said lever 5 being controlled by the set out of the pins 4 on a respective diameter. A vertically arranged rod 6 bears against the end of longer arm of the feeler lever 5, the upper end of said rod 6 controlling a swingably mounted thread guide 7.The same feeler means control also the other, not shown, guides of this knitting feed.

On the same pin 8 serving to mount the feeler lever 5, beside said feeler lever 5 there is a swingable control lever 9 of an additional control device for the thread guide 7. The feeler arm of said control lever 9 is controlled by the set out of the pins 4 on the diameter of the plate 3 which is smaller than the diameter of the set out of the pins 4 to control the feeler lever 5. The other arm of the control lever 9 is by a joint connected through a tie-rod 10 with a control element 11, while it is spring-loaded by tension spring 9', the other end of which is connected to a, not shown, guides holder. The control element 11 is provided with a shoulder 110 which can engage with a finger 50 formed on the feeler lever 5.Further, the control element 11 is by a joint connected with a lever 12 which is swingably mounted on the pin 12', while the other end of said lever is provided with a follower 13 bearing against a cam 14 fixedly mounted on the needle cylinder 2. The follower 13 is pressed onto the cam 14 by a tension spring 15, one end of which is connected with the lever 12 and the other end with the, not shown, flange of the machine.

The operation of the above described device is as follows. During normal knitting, the operation of the guide 7 is controlled by the set out of the pins 4 in the plate 3 which rotates according to the commands from the control drum of the machine. If there is no pin 4 under the nose of the feeler lever 5, the guide 7 is in operational position, which means it feeds the thread into needles J. If the feeler lever 5 is lifted by the pin 4, also the guide 7 is lifted into inoperative position by means of the rod 6, as evident from Fig. 3. At the same time it is necessary that the control lever 9 be swung by the action of the pin 4 allocated to it, anticlockwise. Thus the tie-rod 10 sets the control element 11, namely its shoulder 110 out of engagement with the finger 50 and thus the guide 7 is controlled oniy by the feeler lever 5.The control element 11 is continuously driven by the cam 14 through the lever 12 so, that during one revolution of the needle cylinder 2 it swings the control element 11 up and down. During knitting partial courses of the heel it is necessary to set the guide 7 out of operation in the instep arc.

During the change, the plate 3 is turned. The feeler lever 5 remains on the plate 3 and the control lever 9 bears also against the plate 3 because there is no pin 4 under it, as evident from Fig. 2. Due to this swing the tie-rod 10 attracts the shoulder 110 of the control ele ment 1 1 into engagement with the finger 50 of the feeler lever 5 and swinging of the rod 12 is transmitted through the control element 11 on the feeler lever 5 and further on the guide 7. After knitting of the heel has finished, the plate 3 is turned again, the pin 4 lifts the control lever 5 and the guide 7 is controlled in a classic way again.

The additional control device of the guide 7 can be connected in the same way even when reinforcing in cooperation with another thread guide.

Various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention. According to the design of the machine the feeler and thread guide means may be embodied as a single lever while the control drum is raised and its axis is normal to the axis of the needle cylinder and the program is set out in two rows by means of pins in its cylindrical surface in such a way, as known for example from the Czechoslovak Author's Certification No.

178,279. Also the cam 14 does not need to be directly on the needle cylinder, but it can be on the shaft which rotates at the same speed or it is provided with a plurality of cams and its rotary speed is limited in this ratio.

Claims (4)

1. A thread guides control device in a circular knitting machine especially for the production of hosiery and the like goods, comprising a guides control drum to which feeler and thread guide means are allocated, wherein at the control drum a control lever of an additional control means is arranged which is connectably allocated to the feeler and thread guide means.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control lever is allocated to pins which are beside pins designed to control the feeler and thread guide means.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein a tie-rod is connected by a joint with the control lever, the other end of said tie-rod is connected by a joint with a control element which is connected by a joint with a lever allocated to a rotating cam, while the control element is provided with a surface for engagement with a finger on the feeler and thread guide means.

4. A thread guides control device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.