US1634874A - Knitting machine - Google Patents

Description

1,634,874 y 1927' K. HOWIE KNITTING MACHINE Original Filed Aug 6, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet l [I322 n 6212 Hazaa'e July 5', 1927. 1,634,874

K. HOWIE KNITTING MACHINE Original Filed Aug. 6. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ff'nrzeik Howie Patented July 5, 1927. V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

KENNETH HOWIE, 0F NORRISTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 WILDMAN MFG.

CO., OF NOBRIS'I'OWN, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

KNITTING MACHINE.

Original application flied August 6, 1924, Serial No. 730,462. Divided and this application filed March 18, 1926. Serial No. 95,611.

The present specification is a division of that filed by me Aug. 6, 1924, Serial Number 730,462, and concerns yarn changing mechanism for a circular knitting machine.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a side view of a part of a circular knitting machine embodying the invention.

Figs. 1 and 1 are views of the cylinder cams.

Fig. 2 is a plan view with parts omitted.

Fig. 2 is a view of a detail, and

Fig. 3 is a plan view of part of the yarn changer mechanism.

Fig. 3 is a detail view.

The machine is a two-feed one and provided with cylinder and dial needles .for making rib fabric, and it is of the stationary needle carrier type. It is provided with the usual cams in the dial. The cylinder needles are operated by cams in the rotary cam box when said needles are set into position to be engaged by said cams, this setting action being performed by jacquard mechanism. Each cylinder needle has a jacquard connection leading thereto, whereby it is individually controlled to knit or not to knit, accordlng as the pattern demands.

This jacquard mechanism is shown in part in Fig. 2 but as this forms no part of the present case it is not necessary to describe it in detail. Suflicient to say that the group of mechanism designated generally by the reference character B serves to control the cylinder needles of the segment of the circle from B to B and there are three other groups of similar jacquard mechanism each controlling one quarter of the cylinder needles to make them operative or inoperative by allowing them to remain down out of the path of the rotary cams or to raise them individually into the path of said cams to be operated for performing their knitting operations.

The machine is equipped with a main yarn feed F shown conventionally and a second yarn feed at which there is a yarn changmg mechanism. This yarn changer feeds different colors to the needles of the rib machine.

The yarn changer comprises yarn fingers 44,. 45, pivotally mounted at 44 to swing in a horizontal plane towards and from the needles. They are operated by a striker cam A supported at a fixed point on the base ofthe machine, but adjustable vertically as hereinafter described to different elevations to be in the path of travel of either one of the yarn changer fingers or the other.

The yarn changer fingers are pressed by springs, one of which is shown at 4:7 in an outward direction. When moved to their innermost positions close to the needles they are held in this position respectively by vertically movable detents 51 and 54, which are normally pressed upwardly by springs, one of which is shown at 55, Fig. 2. The yarn changer fingers are provided with extensions or fingers 50, which, as the fingers swing towards the needles, ride over the inclined upper ends of the detents and cause them to be pressed downwardly against the pressure of their springs, and until the said fingers free the detents to allow them to move up back of the fingers and thus retain them in position to hold the yarn fingers in feeding position.

The detents are retracted downwardly to release the yarn fingers by plungers 53.having bevelled inner ends to work against inclined surfaces 54*- of the detents. These plungers are operated by the striker cam section I) attached to the cam A. but wide enough vertically to be in the path of movement of said plungers at all times.

There is also a yarn cutter and clamping device C pivoted at 79 to swing vertically. The cutter blade C. which also forms a part of the yarn clamp, is operated by a lever 57, Figs. 2, 3 and 3 pivoted to a post 59 and operated by a plunger 57 against the tension of the return spring 57 bearing against the depending arm of the lever 57. The plunger 57 is operated by a plunger 52, which is operated by the striker cam 72..

The yarn changer fingers, with their detents and plungers for operating the latter, and

the yarn cutters and clamp device, together with the lever and plungers for operating said cutter and clamp, are all carried by a bracket 58 attached to the rotary cam box of the knitting head to travel therewith around the,needle circle.

Sequence of operations in changing yarn: First the tappet cam plate A is lifted so that its projections a is in the path of the yarn finger 44, which is out of service. This yarn.

finger, by hitting the projection a, will be swung inwardly. A leaf spring on the yarn finger is the immediate part which hits projection a. This yarn finger will now present its yarn to the needle, the final end of this yarn being held in the clamp and cutter C and remaining so until this new yarn is taken by the needles. As soon as this finger has been set in all the way, the pin or projection 50 thereon is caught by the detent 51 to retain the finger in this feeding position. The yarn finger 45 which has been feeding continues in action, being still held by its own detent.

The next thing that takes place as the machine rotates in the arrow direction is that the push pin 52 hits the cam 6 connected with cam A to be adjusted Vertically therewith, and the yarn clamp opens to release the new yarn end which has just been placed by finger 44: to be taken by the needles and for receiving the other yarn which is now about, to be withdrawn from the needles, cut and clamped, until called for again. The next action that takes place is the push pin 53 strikes the cam 12 and retracts detent pin 54 and this releases the yarn finger 45, which flies to idle position under pressure of its spring 47 and withdraws its yarn from the needles. This yarn will now enter the shear and clamp. The tappet cam plate A is cut away or recessed at c to receive the leaf spring at the back of the operated yarn finger to relieve friction. The cam edge has a high part at (i which maintains the yarn finger in its feeding position despite the fact that its detent has been retracted due to the push pin traversing the edge of cam b. The clamp and cutter close as soon as push pin 52 passes oil from the cam 79 at shoulder e and the withdrawn yarn now remains clamped and held by the retracted yarn finger 45.

As soon as the other push pins ride off from cam 72 at shoulder e their corresponding detents snap up and are in position to hold that one of the fingers which is advanced to feeding position by engaging with its pin 50, it being understood that up to this time the feeding finger has been held in feeding position by the cam edge d. The parts remain in this position until the next change of yarn is to be made, for throwing in another color. i

The cam plate A is carried by a post adjustable vertically in a-bracket 61 secured to the stationary base of the machine. The post has a pin 62 overlying a pattern controlled lifting lever 63 pivoted at 64 to a fixed bracket 65 and having a finger 66 in the path of movement of projections or high and low links 67, 68 of the yarn changing pattern chain 69. This chain passes over a sprocket wheel 70 journalled on a pin 71 of the bracket 65. The sprocket wheel is moved step by step by a pawl 7 2 on a lever 73 pivoted at 74; to the fixed frame.

This pawl engages a ratchet wheel 75 connected with the sprocket wheel. The lever 73 is operated from a cam 7 6 carried by the gear. 24:" within the fixed base of the machine which rotates the cam box. A pin 77 slidable in an opening in the base communicates movement from the cam to the lever 73. The

lever is also pressed by a spring plunger 78.

\Vhen the high link 67 acts upon the linger 66 the lever 63 will raise the post 60 and cam plate A to its upper limit, where it will be held by a detent 79 snapping under pressure of its spring 80 into the lowermost notch 81 of the post and the cam plate will now be in line with the upper one of the yarn fingers, i. e. 44 to throw this inward to feeding position by its cam point a acting against the leaf spring carried by said finger. The cam membenb which is'supported from the cam plate A by posts 82, 83, will also be raised to be in the path of the push pins, as above described, to efiect the yarn change and the operation of the cutter and clamp.

As soon as the yarn changing mechanism gets past cam plate A, a striker 84 fixed to the cam box will hit the detent 79 and relea'se it from the post 60, which together with the cam plates A and b will fall to idle position. When the next change of yarn is to take place the low link 68 will operate lever 63 and raise the cam plate only part way, i. e. so that the detent 7 9 will fall into the first or high notch 81, and this will hold the cam plate A in line with the lowermost one of the yarn fingers. The plate I) is wide enough to align with the push pins, whether raised all the way or only. part way up.

After the yarn changing has been efiected with the post raised only part way up, the detent 79 is released, as before, to allow the cam plates A and b to drop to idle position, where they remain until the next yarn change is to take place.

The cylinder cams are shown in Figs. 1 and l", and include a raising cam f and a stitch cam g. The raising cam is'mounted on a block it slidably mounted in a recess m, formed in the cam box, and it is pressed by a spring a to normal position. The front end of the raising cam is inclined at 0 so that if for any reason a needle is misplaced and'its butt aligns with the point of this ca'm, it will strike the inclined part 0 and the cam will recede into its recess to allow the needle to pass and thus avoid a jam. The spring it returns the cam block and cam to normal position as soon as the misplaced needle passes it.

I claim:

1. In combination in a machine, move radially of the machine, a cam on the circular knitting a pair of yarn fingers mounted to each fingerfor holding itin yarn feeding position, cam means for operating the detents to release the fingers, and means for returning the fingers to non-feeding position when released by said detents, substantially as described.

2. In combination with a circular knitting machine, a pair of yarn feed fingers for changing the yarn, a cam on the fixed base of the machine, means for raising said cam to be in the path of either oneor the other of the yarn feed fingers, detents fof holding the fingers in feeding position, push pins v for releasing said detents, a yarn clamp and fixed base of the machine and adjustable to difi'erentelevations, a post carrying said cam, means for raising the post, a detent for holding the post in elevated position, and a striker rotating with the machine for operating the detent 'to release the post, for lowering the said-cam, substantially as described. i

4, In combination with a ciroular'knitting machine, yarn changer fingers pivot-ally mounted to swing in diiferent horizontal planes, vertically movable detents for holding the yarn fingers in feeding position, push pins for releasing sa'id detent, a yarn cutter and clamp, a push pin for operating the same, a vertically adjustable cam on the fixed frame with means for setting it in line with either one. yarn finger or the other,

a cam movable to be set in position together with the first mentioned cam for operating the push pins, and means for moving said cams, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature.

KENNETH HOWIE.

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