US1517391A - Spring-actuated stop motion for knitting machines - Google Patents

Description

W. T. BARRATT SPRING ACTUATED STOP MOTION FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed July 10, 1923 VIILLIAM T. BARBATT, OE BENNZll'G-TQN, VERMONT.

SERING-ACTUATED STOP MOTION "FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

Application filled July 10,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I. lVILLIAM T. BARRAT'L, a citizen of the United States. residing at Bennington, in the county of Bennington and State of Vermont. have invented new and useful Improvements in SpringActuat ed Stop Motions for Knitting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in stop motion mechanisms for machines in which a strand or strands of yarn, are employed in the manufacture of fabric.

The particular embodiment of my invention hereinafter set forth in the specification and contained in the claims is especial= ly adatped for use in connection with knitting machines and is an improvement upon the invention embodied in -Jetters Patent- No. 1,461,172, issued to me July 10, 1923, entitled Stop motion for knitting machines, to which reference may behad for a more perfect understanding of the present invention.

The improvement of this invention over the said Letters Patent consists mainly in the addition thereto of a very delicately adjustable spring tension member for the yarn guide of said mechanism, whereby a quicker action may be imparted to the stop mechanism when the yarn becomes broken.

It will be understood that a stop motion of this invention is adapted to be used in connection with the lightest and frailest kinds of yarn and therefore. the spring ten sion upon the yarn guide which is to operate the stop mechanism to stop the machine when the yarn breaks or runs out. must be very delicate and capable of fine adjustment for different weight yarns.

The invention consists particularly, therefore, in'the yarn guide mechanism and the spring tension means whereby it may be actuated.

In all respects the objects of this invention are the same as those set forth in said application for United States Letters Patent, with the added object of rendering the 1,186.645. patented June 13, 1916.

by a spring 21, Fig. 2.

1923. Serial No. 650,569.

mechanism therein set forth more sensitive and quicker in its action.

To these ends and others hereinafter appearing in the specification. the invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts setforth in the following specification and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings Figure 1 is an enlarged plan view of the portion of the stop mechanism which includes the thread guide and the novel tension mechanism connected therewith, together with the stop members.

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation taken on line 2-2 Figure 1..

Fig. Sis a detail front elevation of the yarn guide stop mechanism.

Like -numerals refer "to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

In the drawings 10 is the frame of the ma chine. 11 is a rotary shaft to which is fastened toothed discs 12 which constitute rotary stop members. 13 is a normally stationary stop member comprising a bar extending longitudinally of the machine and arranged to slide thereon. This mechanism is substantially the same as disclosed in said Letters Patent No. 1,461,172 and in Letters Patent issued to me. No. 1,173,214, patented February 29.. 1916. and No.

The normally stationary stop member 13 is provided with oppositely disposed brackets 14 and 15. The bracket 1e has a rock shaft 16 pivotally mounted thereon and one end of said shaft an arm 17 is fast thereto and projects upwardly terminating at its upper end in a yarn guide 19. This arm is provided with a slidably adjustable weight 20 which is held in adjusted position A stationary yarn guide 22 is positioned above the yarn guide 19 and is fastened to the bracket 14. Another yarn guide 23 is positioned below the yarn guide 19' and mounted upon a bracket 2% which is adjustably fastened to the bracket 14, so that the yarn guide 23 can be adjusted toward and away from the yarn guide 19 to increase or diminish respectively the tension upon the yarn 25, which yarn extends from bobbin, not shown in the drawin s, through a stationary yarn guide 26 fast to the frame of the machine, through'the yarn guides 23, 19 and 22 and thence passes to the machine, where it is guided to the needles in the usual manner.

The arm 17, when the yarn is passing through the yarn guide 19 under tension during the operation of the machine, is norinally positioned at a slight angle toa vertic-a1. plane containing the axis of the rock shaft 16. It is prevented from assuming at any time a vertical position by abutting against the bracket 24, so that when the yarn breaks, the arm 17 and the yarn guide 19 will tip from the position shown in full lines, Fig. 3, to the position shown in dotted lines, inclined toward the right in said figure and with the locking arm 27, which is fast to or forms a part of the rock shaft 16, abutting against the normally stationary stop 18.

As will be seen by reference to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, when the arm 27 is in its elevated position, as shown in full lines in said figures, it will be out of the path of the rotary stop member 12, and at that time the yarn guide will be in the position illustrated in full lines, Fig. 3, and the yarn will be passing therethrough under tension.

A manually rotatable pin 28 is mounted upon the bracket 14 and has fastened thereto a light tension spring 29, one end of,

which is fastened to the pin 28, the other end. 30 of which constitutes a free end which bears against the locking arni2'1' and tends to throw it downwardlyinto the path of the rotary stop member 12. More or less tension may he applied to the end 30 of the spring 29 by rotating the pin 28 by means of a lmuried disc 31 fast thereto. in order to lock the pin 28 in adjusted position a flat spring 32 is provided which is fastened by a screw to the bracket 14, the free end-of the spring pressing against the knurled. periphery of the knurled disc 81.

Vi hen the yarn breaks the yarn guide 19 and its arm 17 will be moved-from the position shown in full lines, Fig. 3. to that shown in dotted lines by the spring 29 and also by the counterweight 20. The spring 29 will cause this movement to the arn guide 19 to be made quickly and the arm 27 will abut against the normally stationary stop 13 and the rotary stop member 12 will then engage the arm 27, and said arm 27 then acting as a locking means will etc the rotation of the rotary stop 12 and the rotary shaft ll to which it is fastened. lVhen this occurs the stop mechanism of the machine will be operated to throw out the clutch and stop the machine, as set forth in said Letters Patent No. 1,173,244.

It will be noted that the rotatable pin 28 is positioned transversely of the axis of the rock shaft 16 and that the long free end 30 of the spring 29 enables a very delicate tension to be placed upon the spring and a very light pressure to be imparted thereby to the locking arm 2? for actuating the yarn guide 19 when the yarn breaks or ii out.

Qhe yarn 34, Fig. 2 is led from a bobbin, not shown in the drawings, through yarn guides 35, 36, 3'? and 38 to the needles of the machine, the yarn guide 3. being supported upon an arm 39 which extends upwardly from a rock shaft i0 pivotally m'ounted'in the bracket 15 and provided on the opposite end thereof to which the arm 39 is attached with a laterally extending arm 412 which is adapted to be engaged by one of the rotary stop members 12 and said yarn guide o! operates in substantially the same manner as the yarn guide 19 and is operated by a spring 43 which is constructed and'operates in substantially the same manner as the spring 29, terminatingat one end thereof in a long free arm 441 which bears against the lorl'king arm'i-2.

The number of bobbins and the number of yarn guides and rotary stops may be increased as desired and may be located on opposite sides of the machine, in operating as he reinbefore described and set forth in said application for Letters Patent 1,461,172.

The general operation of the mechanism which has been specifically and to some extent in general described is as follows: A sumnig the machine to be in operation and the parts to be in the relative 'i'ositions illustrated in the figures of the drawings, it the yarn slackens or breaks, or if for any reason the normal and proper operation of the machine in respect to the feeding of the yarn is interfered with, the yarn guide 19 or 37, through which the yarn passes which is not operating properly, or which has become broken, as the case be, is moved from the position illustrated in fnll lines, Fig. 3, to the position illustrated in dotted lines therein by the spring 29, or the spring 13 acting upon its respective locking arm 27 or 42 and the locking arm 27 or 42 will then be engaged by its respective ro tary member 1.2 and by the normally sta tionary member 13, whereupon the rotation of theshaft 11 will bestopped and through suitable mechanism will operate the stop mechanism in the same manner as set forth in said Letters Patent No. 1,173,244 to throw the clutch member out of operative engagement with the clutch pulley and the brake will then be set to stop the machine.

The rest of the operation of the stop mechanism will be the same as set forth in said Letters Patent 1,461,172 and the machine is reset in operative position in the same manner as set forth in said application for Letters Patent.

I claim 1. 3i stop motion mechanism for a knitting machine having, in combination, a rotary stop member, a normally stationary stop member adjacent thereto, a rock shaft, a guide for a strand of yarn mounted on said rock shaft, an arm on said rock shaft constituting a locking means and normally held out of interlocking engagement with said stop members by said strand of yarn when under tension during the operation of said knitting machine, a spring bearing against said arm and adapted to move the same into interlocking engagement with said stops when allowed by said yarn so to do, whereby the rotation of said rotary stop member may be stopped and mechanism actuated by the stopping of said rotary stop member constructed and arranged to stop the rotation of the driving shaft of said knitting machine.

2. A stop motion mechanism for a knitting machine having, in combination, a m: tary stop member, a normally stationary stop member adjacent thereto, a rock shaft, a pair of arms on said rock shaft, a guide for a strand of yarn on one of said arms, the other of said arms constituting a locking means and normally held out of interlocking engagement with said stop members by said strand of yarn when under tension during the operation of said knitting machine, a spring engaging said last-named arm and adapted to move the same into interlocking engagement with said stops when allowed by said yarn so to do, whereby the rotation of said rotary stop member may be stopped, and mechanism actuated by the stopping of said rotary stop member constructed and arranged to stop the rotation of the driving shaft of said knitting machine.

3. A stop motion mechanism for a knitting machine having, in combination, a rotary stop member, a normally stationary stop member adjacent thereto, a rock shaft, an arm on said rock shaft, a yarn guide for a strand. of yarn on said arm. said arm being adapted to be normally positioned at a slight angle to a vertical plane containing the axial line of said rock shaft, another arm on said rock shaft constituting a locking means and normally held out of interlocking engagement with said stop members by said strand of yarn when under tension during the operation of said lmitting machine, a spring engaging said last-named arm and adapted to move the same into interlocking engagementwith said stops w ien allowed by said yarn-so to do, whereby the rotation of said rotary stop member may be stopped, and mechanism actuated by the stopping of said rotary stop member constructed and arranged to stop the rotation of the driving shaft of said knitting machine.

ft. A stop motion mechanism for a knitting machine having, in combination a rotary stop member, a normally stationary stop member adjacent thereto, a rock shaft, a guide for a strand of yarn mounted on said rock shaft, an arm on said rock shaft constituting a locking means and normally held out of interlocking engagement with said stop members by said strand of yarn when under tension during the operation of said knitting machine, a spring engaging said arm and adapted to move the same into interlocking engagement with said stops when allowed by said yarn so to do and means to adjust the tension of said spring, whereby the rotation of said rotary stop member may be stopped and mechanism actuated by the stopping of said rotary stop member constructed and arranged to stop the rotation of the driving shaft of said knitting ma chine.

5. A stop motion mechanism for a knitting machine having, in combination, a rotary stop member, a normally stationary stop member adjacent thereto, a rock shaft, a guide for strand of yarn mounted on said rock shaft, an arm on said rock shaft constituting a locking means and normally held out of interlocking engagement with said stop members by said strand of yarn when under tension during the operation of said knitting machine, a manually rotatable member, a spring, one end of which is fast to said member and the other end of which bears against said arm, whereby the tension of said spring may be increased or diminished, said arm being adapted to be moved by said spring into interlocking engagement with said stops when allowed by said yarn so to do, whereby the rotation of said rotary stop member may be stopped and mechanism actuated by the stopping of said rotary stop member constructed and arranged to stop the rotation of the driving shaft of said knitting machine.

6. A stop motion mechanism for a knit ting machine having, in combination. a rotary stop member, a normally stationary stop member adjacent thereto, a rock shaft, a guide for a strand of yarn mounted on said rock shaft, an arm on said rock shaft constituting a locking means and normally held out of interlocking engagement with said stop members by said. strand of yarn &

when under tension during the operation of said knitting machine, a manually rotatable pin extending; transversely of the axis of said rock shaft, a spring Wire encircling said pin, one end of said Wire being fastened to said pin and the other end engaging said arm, whereby the tension of said spring may be varied, said arm being adapted to be moved by said spring into interlocking engagement with said stops when allowed by said yarn so to do, whereby the rotation of said rotary stop member may be stopped and mechenisln' actuated by the stopping of said rotary stop member constructed and arranged to stop the rotation of the driving shaft of said knitting machine.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM T. BARRATT. lVitnesses:

IlARRY S. Moses, FRANK HURLEY.

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