GB2264721A

GB2264721A - Selection of latch needles in a double-cylinder knitting machine

Info

Publication number: GB2264721A
Application number: GB9303673A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Milan Fucik
Original assignee: Uniplet AS
Current assignee: Uniplet AS
Priority date: 1992-03-03
Filing date: 1993-02-24
Publication date: 1993-09-08
Also published as: DE4305137A1; GB9303673D0; CZ281371B6; JPH07258947A; FR2688236B1; FR2688236A1; CZ62392A3; ITMI930396A0; IT1265339B1; ITMI930396A1

Description

2264721 1 - DEVICE FOR THE SELECTION OF LATCH NEEDLES The invention

relates to a device for the selection of latch needles into needle cylinders of a double-cylinder circular knitting machine for the production of hosiery, where the needles are guided by needle jacks on which are mounted swinging selecting jacks with two guiding butts that can be alternately selected to engage with cam paths for the purpose of guiding the needles in knitting or non-knitting positions.

Double-cylinder knitting machines for hosiery equipped with a needle selecting device having effect on patterning selector jacks for the purpose to select between ribbed, Jacquard or links-links structures or their combination are known. This selecting device acts on the selector jacks at heights where the corresponding needles are in sinking positions. For transferring over, the needles are transferred, after the selection of selector jacks, into the upper needle cylinder or the needles of the upper needle cylinder are transferred into them. This arrangement results in a considerable height of the needle cylinders needed to lift of the selector jacks and the guiding needle jacks. Thereby, considerable masses are formed which has effect on interial force during breaking of the machine in case of failures, but especially during reverse running.

The aim of the invention is to avoid the above disadvantages which is achieved essentially in that the means acting on the swinging selecting jacks are arranged considering height on the arc of the needle cylinder where needles are clinched both in the upper and lower needle jacks. An advantage of the invention is the fact that the device makes is possible to select and transfer needles between needle cylinders by a simple and in relation to height undemanding device which lowers the height of the cam feed and in the upper needle cylinder it is not 5073GB necessary to have a shifter to select needle jacks which shall guide needles and which shall be empty.

A preferred embodiment of a device according to the invention with a cam system for the knitting of ribbed or links-links goods will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawing.

A known double-cylinder circular knitting machine for the production of hosiery goods is equipped with a lower needle cylinder 1 and an upper needle cylinder 2 in the grooves of which are displaceably situated needle jacks 3 of needles 4 that serve for their guiding and transferring between said needle cylinders 1 and 2. Selecting jacks 5 with guiding butts 51 and 52 are swingably mounted by joints on the needle jacks 3. The guiding butts 51 and 52 are situated at the ends that serve for guiding the needle jacks 3, and therefore also the needles 4, in knitting and non-knitting paths. The selecting jacks 5 are also provided with patterning butts 51.

The cam system of the lower needle cylinder 1 is formed by an upper shaped cam ring 7 and is formed within the reach of the upper guiding butts 51 of the cam path 9 starting at point B in the direction of rotation S that serves to guide lower needle jacks 3. The cam path 9 is terminated by a chamfering 91. Further, a knitting cam path 10 is formed at the height level of the guiding butts 51 into which enter density cams 10 and 11 of both knitting feeds of this machine. Between the shaped cam rings 7 and 8 a cam path 13 is forme d to guide the lower guiding butts 52 and needles 4: in the heel height or for the guiding of empty lower needle jacks 3 at the height where their tips open the upper needles 4. Into the path 13 opens a knitting cam path 14 that guides the operating needles 4 in the reverse direction of knitting, 5073GB it being in connection with the right-handed density cam 15 of the main knitting feed. A cam path 16 is further formed in the shaped cam ring 8 to guide needles 4 in the sinking position.

Pushers 17 of the patterning device are used to select needles 4 into the lower and/or the upper needle cylinder, the pushers being controlled by means of an electronic patterning device or by a patterning drum. The pushers 17 are at the height or at the arc of the needle cylinder 1 where the needles 4 are mounted in the lower and upper needle jacks 3.

The cam system of the upper needle cylinder 2 comprises shaped cam rings 18 and 19 and a ring 20.

Within the reach or at the height level of the lower guiding butts 51 a knitting cam path 23 is formed between the shaped cam rings 18 and 19 that is in contact with density cams 24 and 25 of both knitting feeds. From said cam path 23 branches out a cam path 26 for transferring needles 4 into the lower needle cylinder 1 terminated by a chamfering 260. Between the ring 20 and the shaped cam ring 19 is a cam path 27 at the height of the upper guiding butts 52 used to guide empty upper needle jacks 3.

A pusher 28 is arranged in the cam path 27 to push in the guiding butts 52 that is arranged opposite to the horizontal section of the cam path 23. A pusher 29 is arranged in the cam path 13 that corresponds to the starting point of the knitting cam path 10. Provided are also pushers 30 and 31 that serve for transferring needles 4 and that act on the guiding butts 52 at the height of ribs that form grooves of the needle cylinders 1 and 2.

The device described above for the selection or transferring needles 4 between needle cylinders 1 and 2 operates as follows:

At the pusher 17 the needles 4 are mounted in 5073GB - 4 the upper and lower needle jacks 3 that are guided by the guiding butts 51 in the cam paths 9 or 23. The pushers 17 select according to a program the guiding butts 51 and 52 of all lower selecting jacks 5 into the pushed-in and pushed-out ones.

The lower needle jacks 3 guided by the pushedout guiding butts 51 are lifted starting at the point X by the lifting edge 91 of the cam path 9 and by means of needles 4 they lift the upper needle jacks 3 so that their guiding butts 51 are transferred above the tip 18f of the shaped cam ring 18 and continue further through the cam path 23. The lifting edge 9 is lifted up to the place A, ie up to the height where the guiding butts 52 of the lower selecting jacks 5 reach the level of the pusher 30 that pushes them deeper. Thereby the lower selecting jack 5 tilts the lower needle jacks 3, the tips of which open and release the lower hooks of the needles 4. The lower needle jacks 3 are guided horizontally by the cam path 9 behind the place A and the upper needle jacks 3 are guided upwards by cam path 23 behind the point At that corresponds to the point A, so that needles 4 are transferred into the upper needle jacks 3 and knit then in the upper needle cylinder 2. The empty lower needle jacks 3 are then lowered by the cam path 9 and their guiding butts 51 are pushed in by the chamfering 9f, whereby the lower guiding butts 52 are pushed out into the cam path 13.

The lower needle jacks 3 guided according to a program by means of pushers 17 of the pushed-out guiding butts 52 pass through the cam path 1 3 under the lifting edge 91 up to the pusher 29. The pusher 29 pushes the guiding butts 52, in whereby the upper guiding butts 51 are pushed out into the knitting cam path 10. The lower needle jacks 3 hold by its horizontal movement by means of needles 4 also the upper needle jacks 3 at horizontal 5073GB - level so that their guiding butts 51 pass under the tip 181 into the cam path 26. Here at the point C, their upper guiding butts 52 hit the pusher 30 which pushes them deeper, whereby the upper needle jacks 3 open and so release the upper hooks of the needles 4. The lower needle jacks 3 that hold the needles 4 are lowered by the edge 101 of the knitting cam path 10 and so transfer the needles 4 into the lower needle cylinder 1, while the upper needle jacks 3 pass along the cam path 26 horizontally. The empty upper needle jacks 3 are then lifted by the guiding butts 51 through the cam path 26 up to the point where the guiding butts 51 are pushed in by the chamfering 2601, while the corresponding guiding butts 52 are pushed out into the cam path 27. The upper empty needle jacks 3 are guided through this cam path 27 up to the pusher 28 which reversely pushes out the guiding butts 51 into the cam path 23. In front of the pushers 17 the needles 4 are inserted by reciprocal movement of needles 4 and empty needle jacks 3 into the needle jacks 3 in both needle cylinders 1 and 2 owing to the formation of knitting cam paths 10 and 23.

The invention can be modified in different ways eg the working edges 91, 101 can be in the sphere of influence of the other guiding butts 52 assuming the whole cam system is appropriately adapted. Further instead of cam rings conventional cam means can be used. Also instead of pushers 17 other means can be used eg swinging levers.

5073GB

Claims

1. Device for the selection of latch needles into needle cylinders of a double-cylinder circular knitting machine for the production of hosiery goods, where the needles are guided by needle jacks on which are mounted swinging selecting jacks with two guiding butts alternately selectable to be engaged with cam paths for the purpose of guiding the needles in knitting or non knitting positions, wherein the means for acting on the swinging selecting jacks are arranged in relation to height at the arc of the needle cylinder where the needles are inserted at the same time in the upper and lower needle jacks.

2. Device according to Claim 1, wherein in the direction of rotation are first arranged means for acting on patterning butts of lower swinging selecting jacks and after them, at the height level of one group of pushed-out guiding butts, the lifting edge for lifting lower needle jacks and, by means of the needles, also lifting upper needle jacks to the level of the knitting cam path in the upper needle cylinder.

3. Device according to Claim 2, wherein under the lifting edge for the lifting of the lower needle jacks and, by means of the needles, also lifting upper needle jacks to the height of the knitting cam path in the upper needle cylinder, is at the height level of the second group of pushed-out guiding butts formed a horizontal cam path for moving the needles to the knitting cam path in the lower needle cylinder.

4. Device for the selection of latch needles constructed, arranged and adapted to operate substantially as herein described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawing.

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