US1867087A - Needle operating mechanism - Google Patents

Description

July 12, 1932. A. M.MULLER v NEEDLE OPERATING MEGHANISM Filed Jan. 3. 1951 .d 4 a 3 ad,

3Q, 3.a' nven'tor,

W ttorneg Psa-med July! 12.1932

UNITED STATES PATENT- orrlcE .ADOLF MAX MLLER, CHEMNITZ IN SACHSEN, GERMANY NEEDLE OPERATING meenemen Application led' January 3,1931, Serial No.

My invention relates to warp knitting machines and more especially to improvements in needle actuating mechanism for machines of this type. Y

In the art of designing warp knitting machines .having a straight knitting line it has common practice heretofore to cooperatively associate the thread guiding elements and the needles in such manner that the thread guides must pass between the needles and move laterally thereof, in order to present the threads to the needles in appropriate position for being engaged and the loops being forme'd.

and will be advanced in turn over a distance exceeding ltheir retrogressive movement by one or more gauge umts, so as to get away from the needles, while the latter are rising,

and to bring the descending needles into the reach of hooks. Y

- In orderto properly perform these movements however rather complicated actuating mechanisms are required which seriously increase the cost'of production, operation and upkeep of machines of these classes. Moreover the knitting machines are bodily subjected-through the actuating mechanisms concerned to rather hard shocks and concussions in quick succession` and must be worked necessarily at a reduced speed.

The principal object of my invention is to overcome the said drawbacks by providing an improved needle actuating mechanism for warp knitting machines which is composed of relatively few parts of simple design, easily to be assembled and disassembled.

Other objects ofl the invention and ad- 506,451, and in Germany January 10, 1930.

vantages attained by the same will become apparent hereinafter,

The nature and scope of the invention are briefly outlined in the appended claims andA will be more fully understood by the following specification taken tggether with the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view showing the needle cylinder and theneedle actuating mechanism of a circular warp knitting' ma- V chine by way'of an example in cross section,

the needles'being in their uppermost position, Fig. 2 diagrammatically shows the crossed threadsNand the needles, the latter being in their uppermost position corresponding to that of Fig. 1.

Fig. Seis a fragmentary view showing the needle cylinder and the needle actuating mechanism in cross section, the needles being in an intermediate position and also in their lowermost position, indicated by dash and plain 'lines respectively.

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Fig. 4 diagrammatically shows the crossed I threads and the needles, the latter being in their lowermost position which corresponds to that of Fig, 3. l

Fig 5 is anl another diagram showing the crossed threads and the needles, the latter bein in an intermediate position.

ig. 6 is a side elevation of a knittingv needle. Y

According to this invention means are provided for imparting tothe knitting needles .in addition to their up and downwardmovement' a reciprocating tilting motion in the dlrection towards and away from the vwarp threads and in a manner described hereinafter with-reference t Figures -5 ofthe drawing: l

In a collar, projecting from the needle cylinder 1 of the knitting machine slots or notches 2 are vformed which represent guide members `for the needles 3. The-latter are adapted to move upand down relatively to the needle cylinder l1 and simultaneously to be tilted towards and away from the center of the needle cylinder 1, as indicatedin plain and dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 3. n

For this purpose the needles 3, 'which are formed as usual with a hook'b at their upper end, are provided with a heel portion of peculiar shape at their lower end, having workin faces 3a, 3c, 3d,`3e as seen in Figs. 1, 3 an 6.

' Theneedles 3 are supported and ,operated by a cylindrical member 4 which is given a sponding to that of the working faces 3e of Vthe needles intermediate their shank and heel portion.

The operation of the needle actuating mechanism described is as follows:

The needles 3, individually designated by the letters a, b, o, d, e, f, g, in Figs. 2-5, on having beenA moved into their uppermost slight 2, in which the needle hooks 3b are displaced towards the centei` ofthe needle cylinder 1 are supported by the actuating cylinder 4, the working face 3c of the heel of the needles being engaged by the upper face of the front wall 6 ofthe actuating cylinder 4.

As soon as the latter begins to descend its front wall 6 becomes disengaged from the heel of the needle while-the inclined rear faces 9a of the slots 9 of the crown plate will engage the inclined working faces 3e`of the needles, thus causing the latter to be tilted I' into a practically vertical position as shown in dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 3-but\not to IYdescend yet.

During this operation the needles 3 are gulded at their upper end within the slots 2 of the needle cylinder and are held in frictional contact with the latter by the loops of the knitted fabricwhich rest under tension upon thetop ,edge of the needle cylinder1,- as seen in Fig. 1.

The hook 3b of the needles has thus been brought into a position directly above the crossing point Ic of the upper and lower row threads 1 7.

rI hereupon-while the needle 'actuating cylinder 4 continues to descend-its crown plate 7 will engage thev upper working face 3d of the heel of the needles, causing the latter likewise to descend until they reach their lowermost position, shown i11- plai'n lines in Fig. 3. Meanwhile the hook 3b of the needles has reached the threads at their crossing points k, which are specially marked in Fig. 2, so' as topull the threads through the loops m of the knitted fabric, resting on the top y tilted position,shown in, Figs. 1 and4 edge of needle cylinder r1, and form a new loop vas indicated in Figs. 3 and 4. j

Thereafter the needle actuating cylinder 4 begins to rise, and its crown plate 7 will thus become disengaged from the working face 3d of the heel of the needles, while the' front Wall .'6-in sliding along the inclined working face 3a of the heel-gradually tilts the needles into an inclined position and eventually comes into contact with the working face 3c of the beek-"causing the needles likewise to rise, until they reach their uppermost position shown in plain in Fig. 1.

The operations described above follow each other in due sequence so as to forma cycle of movements.

It Should be noted that the needles 3 while rising are injan inclined position in which the needle hooks are beyond the crossed threads, i. e. in a position-sufficiently wide apart from the latter so that they cannot come into touch with the threads.

While the needles 3 are rising and descending each set of the threadguiding rings O-u, designated by the numbers 1-7 in Figs. 2, 4, 5 is displaced in the direction of the arrows to the right andto the left respectively over a distance equal to one needle gauge unit. A

When compared with the specific position of the thread guide's'O andv, shown in Figs. 1 and 3 and representing the zero position, the thread guides have been shifted in F 1g. '4 over a distance equal to one half needle gauge unit to the right and left respectively, after theneedles a, 6, 0, d, e, f, g have knocked over their old loops and have formed new ones.

Thereafter the rising needles a, b, c, d, e, f, g will pass through the Vgaps between vthe threads underneath the crossing points; for

instance needle c has to pass through the gap, cross hatched in Fig.- 4, between the threadsof the upper thread guides 2,3 and the lower threa guidesz4', 5. The needles will not come into cont-act with 'the crossed threads until having reached their upright position, indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1..

Briefiy summarizing thesalient features of my invention and the advant Y es obtained lby the latter: Means are provi ed for tilting L the needles-prior to their rising motion-so that the upper section of the needles will extendbeyond the top edge of the nee-l dle bed orknockover comb and will-while rising-evade the threads. A

vO11 descending the needles are `tilted t0- wards the threads so that the needle hooks will come into a position directlyabove the threads and will securely" get hold of the latter.

- It should be-noted that the mechanism for lifting and lowering the-needlesv is'v designed so as to simultaneously elfect their tiltingy movementsand that nojadditi'onal device means of special design.

or attachment is required for this latter manipulation. p

This advantage is obtained by providing the lower section of the needles with a heel portion of special design and cooperatively associating with the latter needle actuating Various changes and modifications may be made in the design of needle operating mechanisms of the type and for the purpose set forth, and in the ushape and cooperation of their component parts without substantially departing from the spirit and the salient ideas of my invention.

For instance the crown' plate 7 which is provided with guide slots 9 for the needles 3 may be made of a plurality of separate pieces in order to facilitate the exchange of needles wherever required.'

Needle operating mechanism having the features shown and described aboveywith referenceto circular warp knitting machines may be applied to and used to equal advantage in connection with straight warp knit- Iting machines, also with other types or knitting machines for warp fabrics in which the needles are singly actuated or in groups or are all united and jointly manipulated by one and the same common needle carrier.

Latch needles may be used instead of barbed needles to equal advantage in connection with needle operating mechanism for warp knitting machines, designed according to this invention.

What I claim is:

1. In a needle operating mechanism for the purpose set forth the combination with needles which are provided at their lower end`with a heel ortion, the latter presenting two `working aces `extending substantially vertical to the main shank of the needle and two other working faces in inclined position relatively to the needle shank, o a needle actuating member having a groove and a crown plate, lthe frontwall of said groove and the said crown plate having working faces which are cooperatively associated with the heel and shank of the needles, a needle bar presenting needle guiding slots, and of means for reciprocating the said needle ctuating member relatively to the needle ar. i f A 2. In a needle operating mechanism for warp knitting machines, means for lifting and lowering the needles relatively to the needle bed adapted to simultaneously tilt the needies towardV and away from e warp threads, and the combination with the needles whichLare provided at their lower end with a heel portion, the latter presenting two working 'faces lextendin substantially vertical to the main shank o the needle and-two other working faces in inclined position relaitvely to the needle shank, of a needle actuating member having a groove and a crown plate, the front wall of said groove and the said crown plate having working faces which are cooperatively associated with the heel and shank of the needles, a needle bar presenting needle guiding slots, and 4means for reciprocating the said needle actuating member relatively to the needle bar.

3. In a warp knitting machine, the combination `with`a plurality of needles, each having a heel portion at its lower end, said heel portion having two working faces ex- 4tending substantially at right angles to the length of the needle, and two inclined working faces, and means cooperatingv with the working faces to raise and lower the needles and impart an inclined position to the needles during the cycles of operation of the needles.

4. In a warp knitting machine, the com- -bination with a plurality of needles, each having a heel portion at its lower end, said heel portion having two working faces extending substantially at right angles to the length of the needle, and two inchned working faces, and an actuating cylinder having -a crown plate cooperating with the Workingv twoother working faces in inclined position .relatively to the needle shank, of a needle actuatin member having a groove and a crown p ate, the front wall of. said groove and the said crown plate havmg worklng .faces which are cooperatively associated with the heel and shank of the needles.

In testimony whereof I have signed my `name to this specification.

ADOLF MAX MLLER.

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