US1517992A

US1517992A - Take-up mechanism for knitting machines

Info

Publication number: US1517992A
Application number: US501255A
Authority: US
Inventors: Howie Kenneth
Original assignee: Wildman Manufacturing Co
Current assignee: Wildman Manufacturing Co
Priority date: 1921-09-17
Filing date: 1921-09-17
Publication date: 1924-12-02
Anticipated expiration: 1941-12-02

Description

Dec. 2, K. HOWIE v TAKE-UP MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Sept. 1'7, 1921 3 She'ets-Sheet 1 Inventor: QK'enmfia) Jiawie,

Dec. 2, 1924. v 1,511,992

K. ow":

TAKE-UP MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Sept. 17, 1921 s sheep s-sheet -2 Inuen'lvr;

I Jfomi fi K. HQWIE TAKE-UP MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Sept. 17', 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet s 152128711022- Kenn efh Jibwie,

Patented Dec, 2, 1924,

KENNETH HO'WIE, OF NORRISTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T WILDMAN MFG.

60., OF NOBRISTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

TAKE-UP MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

Application filed September 17, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, KENNETH IIowrn, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Norristown, in the county of Montgomcry, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in TakeUp Mechanism for Knitting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

One object of the invention is to provide a take-up mechanism which will maintain a substantially uniform tension on the fabric under all varying conditions, such as variations in the thickness of the fabric or differ- 3111068 in the rate of production at the nee- In carrying out the invention the ordinary take-up rolls between which the fabric passes in usual practice are dispensed with and the fabric is taken up by the operation of a winding roll. In the particular embodiment of the invention as herein shown this roll is controlled by a full throw clutch of the general form disclosed in my Patent 1,470,741 of May 20, 1921. The clutch means in the present improvement is controlled from a gravity roll or member suspended in a loop of the fabric on its way from the needles to the said roll on which the fabric is wound.

The invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a side view of a take-up mechanism embodying the invention. Figs. 2 and 3 are views showing 35 the parts in diiferent positions. Fig. 4 is a plan view of part of the gravity roll and the frame in which it is held.

In these drawings A indicates the tubular fabric in fiat form asit comes down from the knitting head. It passes under a gravity roll 1, thence up over a guide roll 2, and down past another guide roll 3 to a fabric winding-take-up roll 4, which latter may be of any suitable form such as square in cross 45 section.

The ordinary pinch take-up rolls are not used.

The winding roll is driven by a worn wheel 5 meshing with a worm 6 loose on a shaft 7 rotated by a gear 8 meshing with a Serial N0. 501,255.

circular rack 9 held in fixed position and y I bracket 13 and this bracket affords a bearing for the shaft of the winding roll to which the worm wheel 5 is attached. There is of course a bracketlike 13 at the other side of the machine attached to anddepending from the rotary takeup plate, for affording a bearing for the far end of the shaft of the winding roll. The guide roll 3 bears in these depending brackets.

The worm 6 is driven through a full throw clutch consisting of a member 15 in the 7 form of a sleeve splined to the shaft 7, having a clutch tooth 16 to engage a clutch tooth 18 on the sleeve member carrying the worm 6, and having also a cam 19 and a groove 20 cooperating with spring pins 21, 22, carriedloy a block or housing 23 which forms part of a lever 24 pivoted at 25 to the bracket 13 and having an arm 26 connected by a link 27 with an arm 28 fixed on a shaft 29 having its ends journalled in the side frames or brackets 30 attached to the rotating take-up plate or ring 14. This shaft has fixed thereon the arms 31 in which the journals of the gravity roll 1 hear. The free ends of the arms are connected by a rod 32 upon which a weight may be hung to supplement the weight of the gravity roll 1 and by which the weight sustained by the loop in the fabric may be adjusted to suit conditions.

Ball bearings are employed to reduce friction and the

rolls

1, 2, 3 may be provided with such bearings.

The frame carrying the gravity roll by its movement up and down controls the operation of the full throw clutch. This clutch drives the winding roll in a positive manner by the contact of the

teeth

16,18, metal to metal, and these teeth are either fully engaged with, or fully disengaged from each other. the operation of the clutch being such that it is either all the way out or all the way in operation. In Fig. l the gravity roll 1 and its frame are shown in a position midway of its upper and lower limits of move ment. This frame thus being in horizontal position and the extreme upper and lower limits of movement being indicated by the dotted lines 02 and 1 The clutch. out of operation in l and the winding roll is at rest because no movement being transmitted through the worm and worm wheel. The clutch sleeve 15 will be in constant rotation. however. because it is splined to the constantly rotating shaft 7.

As the fabric is knit off and consequently lengthens, the gravity roll 1 hanging in a loop thereof will move down with its supporting or carrying frame and this will cause the link 27 to be drawn upwardly, tilting lever 24 about its pivot 535 so that the pin or plunger 21 will be withdrawn from the groove 20 of the clutch member and this will drop all the way down and. into full driving engagement with the companion clutch member formed as a part of the worm sleeve and thus the worm will be driven positively and the winding roll will be driven to take up and wind the fabric in the form of a roll as it continues to be knit off bythe needles. This position of the parts is shown in Fig. 2.

The gravity roll is free to turn in its ball bearings and simply hanging as it does in the loop of the fabric its action upon the fabric is uniform despite varying conditions of the latter. The presence of wells in the fabric will not alter the tension thereon as these are passing the gravity roll, the effect being different in this respect from that which takes place with pinch rolls between which the fabric passes as in ordinary practice.

The engagement of the clutch just mentioned is due to the full stroke action of the clutch sleeve which. when released by the (log. or pin is free to drop all the way down into full engagement with the lower clutch member. lf now the loop of the fabric in which the gravity roll hangs, shortens because of the difference between the rate of production of knitting at the needles and the take-up or winding capacity of the fab-- ric winning roll. the gravity roll with its pivoted frame will rise as in Fi 3 and the link 2? will be pushed downwardly thus tilt ing the lever 24 towards the right forcing the spring plungers or pins 21, 22 towards the clutch sleeve 15 and when the Cilll'l portion of the flange 19 comes around opposite the pin 22 this pin will spring into the space or cut away portion of the cam in position so that the incline 19*- of the cam will ride on the pin or plunger 22 and thus the clutch member 15 will be lifted to disengage its tooth, by a full throw nun/emcnt from the tooth of the clutch portion of the worm and the worm will cease to drive the winding roll. The lifting of the clutch member 15 will bring its annular groove opposite the spring pin 21 so that this will imn'iediatcly spring into place and hold the clutch merit ber 15 lifted.

The conditions just described will continue for only a short time. because the fabric as it continues to be knit off, will increase in length and allow the gravity roll 1 with its supporting frame to swing down thus tilting lever 24; and withdrawing the plunger 2] from the clutch member and a lowing this to fall by a full throw action o resume driving the worm and taking up and winding the fabric. The clutch being either completely all the way out of or all the way in engagement avoids the objections which would exist if the two clutch members were thrown gradually into or 'adually out o 2 engagement, these objections being undue wear on the clutch teeth by reason of the succession of taps or knocks they would be subjected to. rendering them liable to be chipped at the edges or corners, and also giving rise to a noisy action.

lVhat is claimed to be new is:

1. In. combination in a take-up mecnanism for knitting machines, a fabric winding-take-up roll, a worm and worm wheel for driving the said roll, a drive shaft, a clutch for connecting the worm with the drive shaft, a lever pivotally mounted and controlling the clutch, a gravitating member suspended in a loop of the fabric on its way to said roll and a connection extending from th gravitating member to said lever by which the up and down movements of said gravitating member will operate the said lever. said lever carrying a pair of spring plungers, and a member of said clutch having a. cam portion to ride on one of said plungers for lifting the clutch and having also a collar to receive the other spring plunger by which the clutch member will be held out of action. substantially as described.

2. In a takeup mechanism for knitting machines and in combination, a rotary take-up ring a fabric winding-take-rup roll, arranged below and suspended from said take-up ring, a vertical shaft rotating in bearings carried by said ring and revolving about the axis of the machine with said take-up ring, a gear on the upper part of said shaft, a fixed rack with which said gear meshes for rotating'the shaft gearing be tween the shaft and the winding roll, a clutch controlling said gearing, a gravitat ing member suspended in a loop of the fabric on its way from the needles to the wind ing roll and a connection for controlling the *clutch, from th up and, down movement of the gravitating member, substantially as described.

3. In combination in a tal eup mech anism for knitting machines, a rotary take-up ring, standards mounted on said ring, a frame pivotally mounted in said standards, a gravitating member on the frame suspended in a loop of the fabric, a guide roll hearing in said standards above the plane of said gravitating member and over which the fabric passes, a winding roll to which the fabric passes after leaving said guide roll, means for supporting the winding roll from the rotary take-up plate at a point below th same, drive means for the winding roll including a clutch and a connection for controlling the clutch from the up and down movements of the gravitating member and frame, substantially as described.

4. In combination, in take-up mechanism for knitting machines, a fabric take-up and winding roll, a clutch for driving said take-up roll comprising a shifting sleeve carrying a cam member and an opposing member to be engaged by said sleeve, and a collar, a pivotally mounted lever, a pair of yielding pins carried by the lever for engagmg respectively the cam and the collar for withdrawing and holding the sleeve from the opposing clutch member, means bearing on the fabric, and a rod connection from said means to the lever for moving the latter in accordance with variations in the rate of travel of the fabric, substantially as described.

5. In combination in take-up mechanism for knitting machines, a rotary take-up plate, a fabric winding roll located below the take up plate, brackets depending from the take-up plate and in which the winding roll bears, a shaft carried by the take-up plate and depending therefrom, gearing for driving said shaft, driving means between the lower part of said shaft and the winding roll including two clutch members, one loose on the shaft and the other driven by, but slidably connected therewith, means deriving power from said depending shaft for releasing the clutch and a member engaging the fabric and influenced by the rate of travel of said fabric for controlling the last mentioned means to release the clutch upon decrease and to set said clutch upon increase in the rate of travel of the fabric, substantially as described.

6. In combination in take-up mechanism for knitting machines, a rotary take-up plate, a fabric winding and take-up roll brackets depending from the take-up plate and in which the winding roll bears, a shaft carried by the take up plate and depending therefrom, gearing for driving said shaft, driving means between the said shaft and the Winding roll including a clutch member loose on the shaft and a second member above the first and splined to the shaft, a cam member connected to the last mentioned clutch member and likewise rotated through the power derived from said depending shaft, and a controlling member thrown into and out of engagement with said cam for releasing or setting the clutch and a mem ber bearing on and influenced by the rate of travel of the fabric, with connections to the controlling member for setting it in or out of engagement with the cam, substantially as described.

7. In combination in take-up mechanism for knitting machines, a rotary take-up ring, a fabric winding roll,hangers depending and supporting the same from the take-up ring, a shaft depending from the take-up ring and geared to the fixed frame to be rotated as the ring rotates, driving means between said shaft and the winding roll including a clutch, one member of which is driven by the said shaft and is slidably mounted thereon, said member having a cam and a collar connected therewith, a lever pivotally mounted on one of the depending brackets and having a pair of spring pins to engage said cam and collar respectively, said cam when engaged by its pin releasing the clutch through power derived from said depending shaft, a member bearing on the fabric and a connection from said member for swinging the said lever, substantially as described.

8. In combination in take-up mechanism for knitting machines, a winding take-up roll, a shaft with gearing for driving said roll, two toothed clutch members on the shaft, one splined to the shaft and the other connected with the gearing, a gravitating member suspended in a loop of the fabric on its way from the needles to the winding roller and rising and falling with changes in the rate of travel of the fabric between the needles and winding roll and power operable means for causing a full throw relative movement to the toothed clutch members, and means for rendering said power operable means effective for throwing out the clutch when the gravitating member rises and for effecting resetting of the clutch when said member falls, substantially as described.

9. In combination, a rotary take-up plate, a winding take-up roll suspended from said plate, a shaft extending vertically and suspended from said plate, a stationary rack on the frame, a gear on the suspended shaft near the upper end thereof meshing with the rack to rotate the suspended shaft, a clutch on the lower end of the shaft comprising an upper toothed member splined on the shaft, and a lower toothed member loose on the shaft, a worm on the loose clutch member, a worm wheel on the shaft of the winding take-up roll, a cam connected with the splined clutch member means to engage and disengage the cam for moving the splined clutch member Vertically on the shaft, a roll suspended in a. loop of the fabric as it passes from the needles to the Winding roll, a Support for said roll pivotally mounted on the rotary takeup plate and a connection from said pivoted support ext-- tending downwardly to the cam controlling means to set it in or out of engagement with said cam, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature.

KENNETH HO /VIE.