US2003774A - Stop motion for knitting machines - Google Patents

Description

June 4, 1935. A. GRUNA ETAL STOP MOTION FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Dec. 13, 1934 2 Shets-Sheet 1 BY MM ATTORNEYS This invention relates to improvements in stop on so as to exert 1 6' Patented June 4, 1935 STOP MOTION FOR KNITTING MACHINES Andrew Gm Union City, and F rdinand Badhuber, North Ber- 1% N. .Livuggnon to Michael cat,

Application December 13, 1934, Serial No.

4 Claims. (01. 66-166) through engagement of an element thereof with the surface of one of said rollers, will effect the for use on Figure 1 is a fragmentary front elevation of a knitting machine of the link-and-link type, showing only so much of the machine as is necesary to an understanding of the invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary transverse section through the machine, and

Figure 3 is an enlarged side elevation of the stop motion device of the present invention illustrating its position in respect to the takendown rollers.

The knitting ma the machine frame and counter-balanced therepressure against the firstnamed roller and the fabric which passes bewhich the fabric 6 is knitted fed downwardly by the cooperation of the upper and lower take-down rollers I and 6 between which said fabric is drawn and from whence loose stitches or broken 8 tween the take-down rollers and to stop the maoperation in the event that start to wind upon one of readily apparent that upward pressure against the roller 1 and the fabric passing between said rollers. The stop motion of the present inbefore the defective operation is seen.

"The present invention is designed to overcome the above dimc'ulty by providing a device of simple and practical construction which,

expedient for the detection of the take-down rollers. v .t

The knitting machine illustrated further in-h, cludes a stopping means and a control mecha-l Q nism therefor which have heretofore been employed in connection with other stop motions of the machine and which, in accordance with the presentinvention, are also controlled by the device or devices l4. Such stopping means as referred to usually comprise a clutch (not shown) coupled to the drive of the machine to an arm l5 which is withdrawn toward the rear of the machine when the clutch is operative and which, in such position, compresses a spring l6 coiled about said arm. The forward end of the arm l5 abuts against one end of a control lever ll pivoted at ii at the front of the machine and normally held in a position to retain the arm I! in its rearward position by a latching bar is pivoted to the frame of the machine at 20 and having a notch or recess 2! intermediate its ends adapted to receive the lever II when said latching bar is in its operative position, as best illustrated in Figure 2. I9 is lifted either by manual or to be described, the same is disengaged from the lever l1 and the spring 16 immediately becomes effective to impart a forward longitudinal movement to the arm is to thereby release the clutch and stop the machine.

To manually operate the latching bar I! the same has pivotally connected to its forward end the arm 22 slidably mounted for vertical movement on a part of the machine frame and provided with a handle 23 for manipulating the same. After the arm 22 has been raised to release the lever H, the bar It, in its elevated position, will rest upon the lever l1 and remain in this position until said lever is manually swung about its pivot to force the arm II rearwardly to again throw in the clutch of the machine. When said lever has been so actuated the same will have again registered with the recess 2| in the bar is and the latter will be permitted to again assume its horizontal latching position, at the same time pulling the arm 22 downwardly.

For the automatic control of the latching bar is, which in turn governs the stoppin means of the machine, there isprovided a well-known mechanism consisting of a vertically movable slide member 24 guided by the pins 25 which project from a stationary plate 26 mounted upon the bracket 21 carried by the frame of the machine. When the slide is lowered as in the drawings, a dog 28 carried thereby engages with the latch 29 of an electrically controlled latching mechanism conventionally shown at 30 and which is of a well-known construction. when the mechanism 30 is operated to withdraw its latch 28 from engagement with the dog 28, the coil spring 3|, one end of which is connected to the upper end of the plate 26 and the other end to a pin 12 at the lower end of the slide 24, becomes effective to impel the slide 24 upwardly. When this occurs a trip rod 23 adjustably secured to said slide and movable therewith, becomes eifective, through its lateral extension 34, to raise the latching bar I! out of engagement with the lever l1 whereupon the latter is swung about its pivot by the action of the spring l6 and arm ii, the clutch of the machine being thereby released. when it is desired to start the machine again, the operator need only force the slide 24 downwardly until the dog 24 is again engaged with the latch 29. The lever I! may then be swung about its pivot to force the arm I! rearwardly against the tension of the spring IE to again connect the clutch.

The mechanism thus far described, with the exception of the device 14, has been usedpreviously on knitting machines of the type disclosed herein and in connection with other automatic stop motions of such machines, and no claim of novelty is made for this mechanism except as it is employed in combination with the stop motion device of the present invention.

The device l4, of which one or more may be employed in the machine and placed at convenient points in cooperative relation with the rollers I, comprises an elongated casing having a screw-threaded pin 35 extended laterally from one end thereof and projected through the extension 36 of an inverted U-shaped bracket 31 which is adapted to be mounted upon the rail H, as best shown in Figure 2, and removably secured in position thereon by set screws 38. The pin 35 forms a pivot for the casing I4 so that the latter may be properly adjusted with respect to the bracket 31 when mounting the device in position and said casing is secured in its adjusted position by means of a wing nut 30. The device further comprises a control lever 4| a portion of which is enclosed within the casing l4 with the remainder thereof projecting through an opening in one end of said casing adjacent which said lever is pivoted as at 4| to an extension 42 of said casing. The extremity of the projecting portion of the lever 4| is bent to provide a feeler 43 which is adapted to contact the cylindrical surface of the associated roller 8. The enclosed end of the lever 44 is bifurcated as at 44 and situated between the portions of said bifurcation is an electrical contact 45. A leaf spring 4 has one end thereof secured to the lever 44 intermediate its ends and bears against the bottom of the casing l4 so as to yieldably maintain the feeler 43 in contact with the surface of the roller 4. when initially adjusting the stop motion device on the machine the win nut II is loosened so as to permit of a pivotal movement of the casing about the pin 35, and the cover for one side of to a position observe the inner end 43 has been casing I4 is then adjusted pivot and relative to the lever trical contact 45, which is carried by said casing, is centrally situated between the portions of the bifurcation 44 and out of contact therewith, whereupon wing nut may be tightened against the extension 26 to maintain the same in its adjusted position.

With the lever 40 in the position described, normal operation of the machine proceeds with the knitted fabric downwardly between the same and the roller l. However, should said fabric for any reason adhere and be wound upon the roller 1 and thus double the thickness of the fabric betweenthe rollers 1 and I, said increase in thickness will cause the latter roller to be lowered slightly away from the roller I and the feeler 43. Due to the spring 4|, the lever 44 will be rocked about its pivot 4| as the roller I is lowered and thereby cause the lower portion of the bifurication 44 to engage the contact 44. Such engagement will thereupon close an obvious circuit from one terminal of the battery 41 through the contact 4!, the latching lit mechanism 44 and [a other terminal of the The energization of said latching mechanism permits the spring 3| to raise the its pivot so that the upper portion of the bifurcation 44 will engage the contact 45 with the same result as previously described.

When two or more of the stop motion devices it are employed, the contacts 45 thereof are connected in series, as shown in Figure 1, to the electrical circuit for energizing the mechanism 30.

and a circuit for said means; of a control device including a pivoted circuit-closing element having direct contact with the surface of one of said rollers, said element being movable about its pivot, in one direction by a movement of one of said rollers away from the other and in a difl'erent direction by engagement of said fabric therewith, to close said circuit.

2. In a stop motion for a knitting machine, between which a knitted fabric is drawn, a frame member adjacent said rollers, and stopping means for said machine; of a device for controlling said stopping means, said device mounted upon said 3. In a stop motion device for a knitting machine, the combination with a bracket supported upon the frame of the machine, rollers also carried by said frame and between which a fabric is drawn; of a control element pivotally connected to said bracket and having one end capable of engagement with the surface of one of said rollers, the other end of said element being bifurcated, and a contact member disposed within said bifurcation and normally spaced from the portions of said element forming the same, said being engaged by one or the other of said portions upon a movement of said control element about its pivot in either direction.

4. In a stop motion device for machine, the combination with take-down rollers for said machine, and a support adjacent the take-down rollers; of a casing adjustable on said support, a control element pivoted to said casing and having one end adapted for engagement with one of said rollers, a contact member within said casing normally spaced from said control element and engaged thereby upon movement of said element about its pivot, and means to secure said casing in an adjusted position with said control element in contact with said roller and spaced from said contact member.

ANDREW GRUNA. FERDINAND RADHUBER.

a knitting

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