IL28234A - Circular knitting machine - Google Patents

Description

28234/2 η*313Ό ΠΑ'ΙΟ^ . Π3Ί3Β A circular knitting machine ΙΉΑΚΖ MORAT GmbH.

C:26760 This invention relates to circular knitting machines with two-part needles, that is, tubular needles or slide needles and is based on a circular knitting machine in which, for the production of Jacquard patterning, each needle has assigned to it a raising jack which can be moved out of its engagement with the cam part controlling its motion and hence that of the needle by means of a patterning device before every knitting point and can be moved back again after the said knitting point, so that at the next knitting point it can be re-selected.

A needle selecting device of this kind, with raising jacks, is described and illustrated, for example in United States Patent Speci ication No.2, 158, 536, for a circular knitting machine with latch needles. The selection of the raising jacks is effected electro -magnetically-mechanicall .

In the case of circular knitting machines with two-part needles, such as tubular or slide needles, the considerable advantages of which for these machines are described in detail in an article in the periodical, "Wirkerei-und Strickerei-Technik" , No. 2, p.74 ff, 1959, it is necessary for tubes and rods, or hook rods and slides as the case may be, to be capable of being moved independently of one another. A raising jack has thus to be associated with each part of the needle. It must be possible for the two raising jacks to be actuated by two guide channels in the cam box, the courses of which are different.

The disadvantage of tubular or slide needle 28234/2 after reflection on the fact that, particularly with fine gauges, the accommodation of the two raising jacks i one needle slot cannot be effected very easil and that having the ttfo guide channels for the raising jacks in the cam box necessitates an undesirable lengthening of the needle cylinder, In the case of circular rib knitting machines, having a dial plate, the use of two-piece needles is impossible, because of lack of space.

To obviate these disadvantages the present inventio seeks to solve the problem of making both parts of tubular or slide needles capable of being actuated in the known manner as applied to latch needles.

According to the invention there is provided a circular knitting machine with tubular or slide needles having a needle tube butt and a needle slide butt and a raising '■ jack associated with each needle, which jack can be moved out of and back into engagement with a cam part controlling its motion, at leas one patterning device by means of which each jack can be swung outwards, in a programmed order; into an inactive position, and back into the working position in which it ca be selected again at the following knitting position, the jack being provided at its upper end with at least two stepped projections adapted to displaoingly engage the needle tube butt and needle slide butt, the arrangement being such that in the working position, each jack is swingable between two positions in which the needle tube butt and the needle slide butt can alternatively be brought into contact with one or both projections for opening or closing the needle hook and fo lifting the needle tube and needle slide, a cam part being provided for lowering the needle tube, and in the inacti 28234/2 · ' . of the jack, eaid projections do not engage the needle tube butt and needle slide butt.

The ability of the raising jack to move in the vertical and in the horizontal direction and the stepping of its upper end which aots on the needle butt, and the consequent possibility of a step change in the tube and the slider during the cooperation according to the pattern of these two parts of the needle, for the purpose of opening and closing the needle hook which .is fitted on the top end of the tube, makes no difference to the known technique of selecting the raising jacks determined by the pattern in their, knit or non-knib position. The height of the needle cylinder does not differ from that in oircular knitting machines with latch needles. Apart from the new shape of the individual cam parts and of the raising jacks, no change is necessary in a circular knitting maohine equipped wit latch needles.

In the case of circular knitting machines with two rings of needleo, e.g. circular rib knitting machines it is also possible for the dial plate to be fitted with the device according to the invention for the selection of tubular needleB without any difficulty regarding space.

Instead of tubular needles it is aleo possible for slider needles to be used, the distinctive features of which can be regarded as known, whereby reference is made to the book by Worm, "Die Wirkerei und 3trickerei", 4th Edition, 1927, page 21» described by way of act example and with reference to the accompanyi g drawings, in which : Figure 1 is a development of the cam parts of a system into a plane; Figure 2 is the longitudinal section through the needle cylinder and the cam box along the section line II-II in Figure 1 with selection mechanism; Figure 2a is the side elevation of a tubular needle with the needle hook closed by the slide; Figure 3 is a longitudinal section through the needle cylinder and the cam box along the section line II -Ill in Figure 1; Figure 4 is a longitudinal section through the needle cylinder and the cam box along the section line IV-IV in Figure 1 ; Figure 5 is a longitudinal section through the needle cylinder and the cam box along the' section line V-V in Figure 1 ; Figure 6 is a longitudinal section through the needle cylinder and the cam box along the section line VI-VI in Figure 1 with selection mechanism; Figure 7 shows the selection mechanism in transverse section along the section line VII-VII in Figure 1; and Figure 8 is a cross-section through the cam part actuating the raising jack: along the section line VIII-VIII in Figure 1.

As shown in Figures 2 and 2a, the tubular needles 5 rest against the bottom of the guide grooves 2 in the move vertically . In a known manner the tubular needles 5 consist of two parts which can be moved independently of one another in their longitudinal direction, the needle tube 5 with hook 5£ and the needle slide 5d which can slide axially in the tube 5a and projects out of its lower end, its top end serving for the closing and opening of the hook 5c. The lower end of the needle tube 5a is connected with the horizontal, short arm of a right-angled sinker 5a', the vertical, long arm 5a" of which is guided in the recessed part 2c of the guide groove for the needle and raising jack. The horizontal short arm of the tube sinke 5a' projects, as a needle butt ^ into the camming curves of the. cam box 6. The lower end of the needle slide 5d is connected with the top end. of the vertical, long arm 5d" of a right-angled sinker 5d' lying in a plane with the sinker 5a' and guided in the guide groove 2 fo the needle and raising jack. The horizontal, short end 5d^ of the needle slide sinker projects as a needle butt into the associated camming curves of the cam box 6.

When they come up to the selection point 4, ll the raising jacks 1 are situated with their lower end 1a on the lower end 2a of their needle and raising jack guide groove 2 in the rotatable needle cylinder 3, in which they can be displaced up and down and can be swung about their lower end 1a. Approximately in the middle of its length the raising jack has a rectangular notch 1c, open outwards, of which the horizontal upper and lower edge 1c' and 1c" respectively are connected with the associated camming curves when the raising jack has to be pushed upwards or twice, upwards and inwardly from the outside towards the axis of the cylinder. The vertical outer edge of the lower, first step 1d rests, in a phase of the raising jack motion rhythm to be explained later, on the inner surface of a cam part 36 of the stationary cam box 6, by which means the outermost possible position into which the raising jack 1 can be swung is determined. The second step le acts with its .upper edge, when, as will be explained later, it comes into a position under the lower edge of the needle slide sinker 5d'. Depending on the swinging position of the raising jack 1, which can be controlled by a camming curve acting on the vertical edge of the notch in the raising jack 1c in the horizontal plane, the substantially horizontal upper edge of the raising jack 1f can be connected , during the upwards movement of the raising jack or during the downwards movement of the needle, with the lower edge of the needle tube sinker 5a' or with the lower edge of the needle slide sinker 5d · .

The raising jacks 1 are capable of being swung outwards by a spring 7, one of which is associated with each jack, and are held by the spring in the swung position which is determined by those cam parts on the cam box 6 with which they are in engagement , shown in dash-dot lines in Figure 6. The swinging out of this engagement takes place by electromagnetic-mechanical means with the result that the raising jack does not carry out an upwards and downwards movement but during its passage through the knit position (Figure 1) remains in its lowest position, shown jacks move on a non-knit track.

The electromagnetic-mechanical guiding of the raising jacks 1 out of their position of engagement into the non-engaged position, for the purpose of knitting and not knitting stitches in accordance with the pattern, is produced by means -of spring rods 21, one of which is associated with each raising -jack in such a way that its free end rests against the vertical outer edge of a nose 1g on the raising jack which projects outwards beneath the lower guiding edge ic" of the raising jack. The spring rods 21 project a little way above the upper edge of the nose ig on the raising jack and at their lower end are rigidly connected with a ring 8 which is in rigid connection with the needle cylinder 3 and which, with its associated spring rods and the raising jack parts 19 co-operating therewith, has the necessary freedom of movement in an annular recess 6a in the cam box 6. An example of the electromagnetic-mechanical guiding of the raising. jacks by means of electromagnetically operatable spring rods 21 is described with reference to igure 7 of the drawing which is a cross-section along the line VII-VII in' Figure 1. This example is in conformity with Specification No. 25226 our earlier Patent-Ap.pliaatioa*_No»9384 66 which relates to the control of conventional latch needles in circular knitting machines by means of raising jacks, according to a pattern.

Referring to Figure 7, the first three spring rods 21 from the righ of the figure are in a relaxed position and during their movement in the direction P extends outwards to the point g and which, as is shown in figures 2 and 7, brings the upper end of the spring rods between the inwardly directed polar surface of the magnet 24,26 fixed in recesses b of the cam box 6, and the surface to f of the cam part 27 which is substantially level and parallel to the needle cylinder. After f the cam part 27 drops inwards radially to the cylinder axis. Shortly in front of this point f the control pole 24a of the permanent magnet 2 'begins. As already stated, the cam part 27 has a step at f which extends inwards to f ' and is of such a depth that the point f · and following part f' to e which runs roughly parallel to the circumference of the cylinder is in. a position a little inside the tension-free position of. the spring rods 21. The purpose of this surface f' to e is to limit the extent of the deflection of the spring rod 21 as it is allowed to drop out of its position under tension from g to f . If the control coil 26 is without current the spring rod, e.g. rod 21a is held by the permanent magnet 24a. If the control coil 26 is live the field of the solenoid is of opposite direction to the field of the permanent magnet. The spring rod drops down, as the spring rod 21b in igure 7. Before the end e of the curve part 27 the curve part 28 begins, from the tip d of which the outermost camming face, that is to say the one facing the solenoid, runs roughly parallel to the surface of the cylinder as far as the point b and rises inwards to the point c. From the point c the inner face of the cam part 28 runs roughly parallel to the ■ The outer face d to b, running roughly parallel to the cylinder surface, drops from, b to a in an inward direction. Moving on the outer surface d to b are the spring rods 21 which are held in an outwardly tensed position by the magnet; they move to the point b in their tensed position and then drop down to point a in their relaxed position. On the inner curve, £ to a, of the cam part 28 the spring rods not held by the magnet move; these have dropped inwards from their outer position, from g to f and are swung further in from c to a and at a they arop back into their tension-free position. The cam parts 27 and 28 are fixed on the support 33h of the cam part 33» the function of which will be described later.

The spring rods held by the magnet and moving on the cam part 28 from d_ to b have no effect on the · associated raising jack and so this remains in engagement with its cam part 37 fixed on the cam box 6 and actuates · the tubular needles. The spring rods which, like the spring rods 21b in Figure 7, are not held by the magnet and run up the cam part 28 which rises inwards from d to c, during this running up movement swing the raising j ck inwards, as is shown in broken lines in Figure 6, to such an extent that it is no longer in engagement with its cam part 37. Consequently this raising jack has no upwards movement and the associated tubular needle, with its two parts i.e. the tube 5a and the slide 5d, moves into the position shown by Figure 2 and Figure 6, that is to say in the non-knit tracks running horizontally in a straight line through the knit position. the points f and d of the cam parts 27 and 28 respectivel (Figure 7), the raising jacks belonging to the spring rods not held by the magnet, e.g. 21b make contact by their outer edge as they run along the inner surface 37i of their cam part 37 on the cam box 6 and thereby maintain their swung, disengaged position until, behind the knit position in the region of the cam part 33 or 33a they are swung back by their spring 7 into their starting position for selection before the next knit position.

The electromagnetic-mechanical selection according to pattern of those raising jacks which produce no needle action is effected by means of electrical pulses generated by a command strip, which pulses are passed to the magnet coil 26.

The operation of the tubular needles is effected by the raising jacks which remain in engagement with their controlling cams. This procedure will now be described with reference to Figures 1 to 6 of the drawings.

Figures 2 and 6 show the tubular needle 5 in the lowest position, that is to say the knocking over position, and the associated lowest position of the raising jack 1. This is the position corresponding to the two section lines II-II and VI-VI in Figure 1 and in the rotational direction P of the needle cylinder it is situated in front of the selection point 4. With each knitting system there is associated a selection point 4 which has been described above with reference to Figure 7. The height of the needle tube 5a in front of the selection point 4 is determined by the last two cam parts 30 and 31 of the tube is guided (Figure 2). The needle hook £ is closed, as is also shown in Figure 2a, by the slide 5d, the height of. which is limited . upwardly by application of the upper edge of the slide sinker 5d' against the lower edge of the butt 5a^ on the tube sinker. In the downward direction the slide d can slide down until its butt ^ touches' the upper edge 32a of the cam part 32. (Figures 2 and 1). The upper edge 1c' of the notch 1c on the raising jack rests on the upper edge 33a of the cam part 33 and the lower edge 1c" on the lower edge 33b of cam* part 33· As a result the raising jack 1 is held in its lowest position, as shown in Figures 2 and 6, up to the selection point 4, the curve parts 27 and 28 of which are a part of the cam part 33. It is improbable that in the short time available, a fraction of a second, the needle hook 5c would be opened by the dropping of the needle slide on to the upper edge 32, but ,this would not be serious because the loop hanging in the needle hook 5c is prevented from springing out of the hook by the tension exerted on the fabric by the fabric take-off mechanism.

On the path II-II in the direction P (Figure 1) the guiding of the butt a^ of the needle tube is taken over by the lower edge 34a of the cam part 34 and the upper edge 35a of the cam part 35,which entails no change in the height of the needle tube 5a. The guiding of the butt d^ of the needle slide sinker 5d' is taken over during this time by the lower edge 35b of the cam part 35 and the upper edge 32b of the cam part 32 which, shortly before the selection point 4, has ascended so much from position, even downwardly, or else it reassumes th s if it should previously have slipped down.

At the selection point, as has been described with reference to Figure 7 , the raising jacks 1 are selected which are not intended to act on the tubular needles. These raising jacks are swung inwardly about their bottom end 1 a in the direction of the needle cylinder axis to such an extent that the notch 1 c in the raising jack is out of engagement with the cam part 37 , the start of the ascending upper edge 37a of which projects into the region of the cam parts 33 and 32 to a position just behind the selection point 4 · These selected raising jacks slide in their lowest position by the outer edge of their first step 1 d along the inner edge 37i (Figure 8 ) of the cam part 37 until, at the end of this cam part, they are swung out again into the starting position by their spring 7 , where their notch 1 c comes into engagement again, under pressure from .the spring 7 , with the cam part 33a of the next system, to undergo selectio once again. The brief period during which the selected raising jack swings outward as it runs over the concave curve 37f , to be described later, causes no difficulty because the lower edges of the two slide sinkers 5a* and 5d ' are in the non-knit track, as in Figures 2 and 6 , that is to say above the upper edge 1 f of the raising jack 1 and the latter cannot come into collision with the needle 5 . At the end of the lower edge of the cam part 37 a downwardly sloping part 37b ensures that as the selected raising jack swings back the raising jacks which are not selected, i.e. those which stay in the position, of engagement with the cam part 33 » slide from the cam. part 33 on to the cam part 37 , on the rising upper edge 37a of whic the upper edge 1 c ' of the notch in the raising jack rest, until after a response travel of length X (Figure 2) has been completed, corresponding roughly to the height of a needle butt 5a^ or 5d^ , the upper edge 1f of the raising jack touches the lower edge of the needle tube sinker 5a ' ,(Figure 3 ) > after which the raising jack rises still further (Figure 4 ) . The upper edge, of the cam part 37 then falls, behind its apex 37d , as the edge 37c until, from the needle position V-V onwards it continues to run at the level 37f , equal to the level of the upper edge 33a of the cam part 33a> horizontally on this cam part of the next system.(knit position). The inner face 36i of the cam part 36 lying back outwardly is at such a distance from the inner face 37i of the cam part 37 that the outer edge of the first step d of the raising jack rests against it' when the raising jack parses the upward and downward sloping upper edges 37a and 37c of the cam part 37 . In the same way the inner face 35i (Figure 5 ) .of the cam part 37 is set back outwardly from the inner face 37 i of the cam part 37 to such an extent that the outer edge of the vertical arm of the slide sinker 5d ' rests on the inner face 35i , whereby the outer edge of the raising jack, above the second step of the raising jack le, rests against the inner edge of the vertical arm 5dH of the slide sinker 5d ' (Figure 3 ) > which in turn rests " needle tube sinker 5a' (Figure 2a) .

The upper edge if of the raising jack, in its inoperative position as shown in Figures 2 and 6 , has, as already mentioned, a vertical distance x from the lower edge of the vertical sinker arm 5a" of the needle tube 5 which is in the knocking over position, which is equal to the vertical distance of the cam part edges 34a from 35a and 35b from 32b . This distance x is the response path, already referred to above, which the raising jack 1 must travel in an upward direction before it makes contact by its upper edge if with the lower edge of the tube sinker 5a' . As a result of the upwards movement of the raising jack on the path, running in the direction P, from its position II-II to III-III consequent upon the sliding of the upper edge of its notch 1c' on the cam part edge 37a (Figures 2 and 3 ) , the upper edge if of the raising jack strikes the lower edge of the vertical arm 5a" of the needle tube sinker 5a ' and carries this with it on its further course. The upper edge of the foot 5a^ of the tube sinker 5a' thereby slides along the rising lower edge 34b of the upper cam part 34 which runs parallel to the edge 37a of the lower cam part 37 . Thus during this -upwards movement the needle tube 5a is coupled with the raising jack and both are guided in the channel formed by the cam part edges 37a and 34b and, in the position III-III have been raised to such an extent that the upper edge of the second step of the raising jack 1 e strikes the lower edge of the slide sinker butt d^ which until then is guided with its upper edge on the horizontal lower edge of the needle tube-raising jack, the needle hook 5c , which in the knocking over position II-II and VI-VI is closed by the slide, is opened again and both the needle tube 5a and the slide are raised together by the raising jack,with the needle hook 5c open, as far as the highest position IV-IV, which is the clearing position.

The upper edge of the slide sinker butt 5d thereby slides vertically on the lower edge 35c of the cam part 35 which is central, said lower edge 35c rising from III-III to IV-IV (Figure 1 ) ; thus during the upwards movement, just as' in the case of the previous horizontal movement, the needle tube and the needle slide are guided above by edges of■ the cam parts 34 and 34 and below, by way of the raising jack, by the edge 37a of the cam part 37 thus making impossible any deviation of the needle tube and the needle slide from the prescribed path in an upwards or a downwards direction.

On the path from position IV-IV to position V-V (Figure 1 ) the raising jack 1 is pulled down by the lower edge 37e of the cam part 37 against which the notch 1 c " of the raising jack rests, to such an extent that the upper edge if of. the raising jack is exactly beneath the lower edge of the needle slide butt a^ . Meanwhile the needle tube is held in the highest position (Figure 4 ) by the thread 51 inserted in its hook at IV-IV by the thread guide 50 and by means of the braking tensio Z, due to the fabric take-off, of the old stitch 52 which lies against the tube 5a. The slide,which is in the position in relation to the tube in which the hook 5c is held open, downwards in relation to the tube 5a. Behind the position V-V and in fact at the end of the downward movement of the raising jack: the inner surfaces 37i and 36i of the cam parts 37 a d' 36 have a depression 37f and 36f (Figure 8) which extends over the whole height of the cam part 37 and the lower part of the cam part 36. In the direction P of the movement of raising jack and needle, the depressions 37f and 36f end where the butt 5a^ of the needle tube 5a is in a position just in front of the descending edge 30a .of the cam part 30. In the position V-V (Figure 1) the raising jack, just pushed by its spring 7, is swung out through a small angle because, with the vertical edge of its notch 1c and the outer edge of its bottom step id, it has come into the range of the depression 37f and 36f. Consequently the upper edge 1f of the raising jack' pushes itself under the under edge of the slide butt 5 ^ , while the raising jack slides with its edge 1c' of the notch on its path from V-V to V'-V on the horizontal upper edge 37f of the cam part 37 and keeps the slide 5d in its vertical position which is · determined upwards by the horizontal- lower edge.35d of the middle cam part 35 · On this path from V-V to V-V (Figure 1) the needle tube is pushed down by the cam part 38 following the upper cam part 34, through its slanting lower edge. 38a which acts on the upper edge of the needle tube sinker butt a^, until the needle slide, which during this period has been prevented from moving downward by the upper edge 1f of the raising jack, has closed the hook 5c. On the way from V-V to the knocking oyer drawn down completely, by means of the oblique lower edge 37b of the cam part 37, into its lowest position ready for the next selection operation. The needle tube 5a, together with the needle slide 5d which is in the clearing position, is pushed downv/ard into the knocking over position by means of the oblique lower edge 30a of the final upper cam part 30, whereby the stitch forming process on one system (knit position) is completed and all the stitch forming components, namely needle tube, needle slide and raising jack, are in readiness for the stitch forming process in the next system.

The knitting track of the upper edge and the lower edge of the needle tube butt 5a> is shown in Figure 1 by the dash-dot lines la and lb respectively and that of the upper edge and the lower edge of the needle slide butt'5d^ by the dash-dot lines Ic and Id, respectively. 28234/3

Claims (1)

1. CLAIMS 1 A circular knitting machine with tubular or slide needles having a needle tube butt and a needle slide butt and a raising jack associated with each needle, which jack can be moved out of and back into engagement with a cam par controlling its motion,; at least one patterning device by means of which each jack can be swung outwards,, in a programmed order» into an inactive position, and back into the working position in which it can be selected again at the following knitting position, the jack bein provided at its upper end with at least two stepped projections adapted to displacingly engage the needle tube butt and needle slide b ttj the arrange ment being such that in the working position, each jack is swingable between two positions in which the needle tube butt and the needle slide butt can alternatively be brought into contact with one or both projections for opening or closing the needle hook and for liftin the needle tube and needle slide, a cam part being provided for lowering the needle tube, and in the inactive position of the jack constituting a third swingin possibility of the jack, said projections do not engage the meedle tube butt and needle slide butt* 2, A circular knitting machine with tubular or slide needles according to Claim 1 , wherein the twp projections of the raising jacks bear consecutively against the needle tube and the nee.dle slide butt when the jacks are raised, 3» A cirouiar knitting maohlne with tubular or slide needles according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein during the lowering of the jacks: the latter are first brought into the first swinging 28234/2 ,. ' position in which they are only lowered and thereafter into the second swinging position in which the needle hook is closed by simultaneous contact of one of the projections with the needle slide butt and lowering of the needle tube, 4· A oireular knitting machine with tubular or slide needles according to any of Claims 1 to 3» wherein, for swinging each jack into the inactive position there is provided a spring rod which is swingable, ink programmed manner, by means of the patternin device. 5« A circular knitting machine with tubular or slide needles according to any of Claims 1 to 4, wherein a return spring is provided in each jack ohannel for swinging the jacks back into the working position, 6. A oireular knitting machine with tubular or slide needles according to any of Claims 1 to 5» wherein oam parts are provided for limiting the two swinging movements in the working position, and the jacks are made to bear on them by means of the return springs. 7· A circular knitting machine with tubular or slide needles substantially as described herein with reference to the accompany ing drawings.