US2017718A - Knitting machine - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 15, 1935. H. H. HOLMES El AL 2,017,718 I KNITTING MACHINE Filed Npv. 11, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet l 1v an"? 1% JJ e I 7; INVENTORS Oct. 15, 1935. H HOLMES ET AL 2,017,718

KNITTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 11, 1932 s Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 15, 1935. H H, HOLMES r AL 2,017,718

KNITTING MACHINE Filed NOV. 11, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR 3,4 M 3 .1%.. M

Patented Oct. 15, 1935 KNITTING MACHINE company Application November 11, 1932, Serial No. 642,254 In Great Britain December 2, 1931 12 Claims.

It is specifically directed to an improvement in or modification of that one of the Wale-thread draw-ofi means which according to the said prior specification is employed to draw off from each warp-thread supply and prior to the forma- 0 tion of a needle loop, a length of warp-thread sufficient for that loop.

In copending application Ser. No. 559,314 there is described and claimed in general terms a construction in which this thread draw-01f device is automatically adjusted in conformity with an adjustment in the length of the loop of the ground-thread stitches. In other words, when the loop-size of the ground-fabric is to be changed (for example, is to be decreased as the knitting proceeds from the calf of the leg towards the heel in hose or half-hose) the action of the thread draw-off device is correspondingly changed so that the knitted Wale-thread loops may be maintained in desired conformity with the loops of the ground-thread knitting.

According to the present invention, a walethread draw-off device of the kind above described is combined with means for relatively adjusting the thread-release portion of said device and the stitch cam in the direction of knitting, and controlling the return to normal relationship. The purpose of this adjustment is that the release of the Wale-thread drawn by the said device is timed to commence either before, at or after the corresponding needle has commenced to descend the stitch-cam.

The release portion of the draw-01f device is to be understood as that portion of it that is encountered by the Wale-threads following the point of the draw-oil device having the maximum effect in drawing the thread from its bobbin prior to stitch formation.

Conveniently, the Wale-thread drawing device is bodily adjustable relatively to the stitch-cam and in the application of the invention to a circular machine the Wale-thread drawing device is angularly adjustable about the axis of the needle-cylinder relatively to the stitch-cam and accompanies the latter in itsrelative movement with respect to the needles.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood a preferred example will now be described with the aid of the accompanying drawings in which:-

Figure 1 is a side elevation of those parts of a knitting machine necessary for ing of the invention,

Figure 2 on an enlarged scale shows part of the driving mechanism for the thread-drawing device together with the control means therefor,

Figure 3 is a section on the line 33 of Figure 2,

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Figure 2,

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the thread- 1 drawing device showing the relation of the release portion of the device to the actuation of the needles by the stitch-cam,

Figure 6 illustrates a detail of the mechanism,

Figure 7 illustrates a mechanism, which in it- 1 self does not constitute part of the present invention, by which stitch length adjustment can be obtained,

Figure 8 is a plan of a portion of the mechanism illustrated in Figure 7, and

Figure 9, on an enlarged scale, is a view looking from the right of Figure 7 showing not only part of the mechanism illustrated in Figure 7 but also part of the adjusting means illustrated in Figure 3.

Like reference numerals indicate like parts throughout the drawings.

In the present example there is preferably provided an automatic loop-size adjusting control device for the ground-thread stitches. There is also provided a control-drum or equivalent device actuated in unison with that for controlling the ground-thread stitches and having an operative connection with the Wale-thread drawing device whereby adjustment of the latter will be automatically controlled in conformity with the control of the ground-thread. In the drawings the control-drum for the thread-drawing device is indicated at it and this device may be the same as that employed for adjusting loop-size of the ground-thread stitches. Alternatively, it may be an independent control-drum co-operativelyconnected to the control for the ground-thread stitch by any preferred means.

the understand- It is to be understood that the device for ad- 45 justing the loop size of the ground-thread stitches is of well known form and as such has no part in the present invention. Following known practice, it may constitute a drum such as it), see Figures 7 and 9, on which there is a snail cam Hi). The cylinder IH has at its lower end cam projections H2 co-operating with cam projections H3 on a rotary plate H4. The plate is situated beneath the needle-cylinder and movement of the plate is controlled from the snail cam III) through a follower I I5, a bellcrank pivoted at I I6 having one arm III engaged with the cam follower I I5 and the other arm IIS connected by a link HQ with a crank I26 projecting laterally from plate II4. Thus as the snail cam is rotated in an anti-clockwise direction as seen in Figure 9 the needle-cylinder will be elevated and the stitch length correspondingly shortened because by moving the needle-cylinder relatively to the needle cams (not illustrated) the throw of the cams will, as is well known, be lessened.

The snail cam H and its connection with the needle-cylinder I II and the actuation of the cylinder for stitch length adjustment comprises a known means which of itself constitutes no part of the present invention but is described in detail herein in order to establish a full disclosure of the mechanism in its relation to the means to be described below for adjusting the action of the thread drawing device. In the illustration of Figure 2, the snail cam I I8 and its connections with the needle-cylinder have been omitted for sake of clearness. Moreover, although it in no wise alters the invention, the snail cam II is shown at the opposite side of drum II) from that in Figure 7.

Whether the control drum III for the threaddrawing device be the same as that for the stitch length adjustment or whether it be a separate device it is preferred that the construction shall follow the form of a drum such as III having on it a snail-cam I I (see Figure 3). The cam is coupled through a cam-follower I2 with one end of a Bowden wire I3. The cam-follower I2 is conveniently situated at the middle of a lever I4 that is pivoted at one end at I5 to a. fixed part of the mechanism and at its other end is attached to the end of the Bowden I3, or any other equivalent flexible member.

The other end of the Bowden wire or its equivalent is led to a position on the feeder-head where it can control in any preferred manner the angular position of the Wale-thread drawing device in relation to the stitch-cam. For this purpose the following arrangement of parts is employed.

From the main driving shaft it of the machine a connection is taken through gears I7 and I8 to a vertical shaft I9 and from that shaft through gears 23 and 2| to a horizontal shaft 22 terminating in a bevel-gear 23. This gear meshes with another bevel-gear 24 arranged in the feederhead and formed integral with a lower sleeve-like extension 25 which is restrained, in any preferred manner, from axial displacement along the spindle 2B. As will be seen by reference to Figures 2 and 6, the sleeve 25 is supported on a thrust bearing I25 that is secured in position on the stationary shaft 28 by means of a split nut I26 that can be clamped in position by clamping screws I21. The sleeve 25 is therefore constrained by its mating gear 23 (Figure 2) from moving upwardly on the shaft 28 and is prevented from moving downwardly by means of the thrust bearing I25. In this way the sleeve 25 is constrained against axial movement in either direction on the shaft 28. In the skirt at the lower end of the sleeve 25 there are formed diametrically-opposed recesses one of which is indicated at 25. Each recess has an inclined wedge surface 27 for a purpose to be described below. The gear 24 and the sleeve 25 are mounted to rotate on the spindle 28 which supports the Wale-thread feeder-head 29. In the drawings no Wale-thread feeders are shown in the head.

Mounted below and coaxially with the sleeve extension 25 is a second sleeve 30 which is coupled with the dial cam-disc 3| of the Wale-thread feeder-head so as to be capable of axial movement but incapable of relative angular movement in relation to the cam disc. This coupling in the 5 example shown is constituted by downwardly-extending jaws 32 on the sleeve 36 which engage fiat sides on the projection 33 which enters be tween the jaws and constitutes a boss by which the dial-cam disc is carried.

The sleeve 39 at its upper end has diametrically-opposed projections 34 each of which has a substantially vertical face 35 terminating at the upper part in a radius 36 which engages one of the inclined or wedge surfaces 27 on the firstnamed sleeve-like extension 25. The bevel-gear 24 drives the sleeve 3|] by engagement between the inclined surfaces 2'! and the projections 34. It will be obvious that any axial adjustment of the sleeve 38 in relation to the sleeve 25 will result in angular displacement between them.

Assuming that the mechanism is applied to a stationary needle-cylinder machine the bevelgear 24 will rotate synchronously with the main cam-box for the knitting elements and hence the inclined or wedge surfaces of the sleeve-like extension 25 always maintain a fixed relationship with the main cam-box. Accordingly, by shifting the second sleeve in an axial direction the angular relation between the dial-cam disc 3! 30 and the stitch-cam in the main cam-box can be altered. Consequently, the relation between the Wale-thread drawing device 3'! which is in the form of a cam carried from the cam-disc M, in relation to the stitch-cam can also be altered or adjusted from time to time.

The axial sliding movement ofthe sleeve 30 is obtained by the following means:

A peripheral groove 38 in the sleeve 30 is engaged by a forked finger 39 which is attached to 40 a rod 68 guided in bearings II on an outer casing surrounding the sleeve soas to slide in a direction parallel with the axis of the latter. The rod 43 is attached to one end of the Bowden wire I3 or equivalent mechanism and this wire is conveniently trained down the frame of the machine and at outer end is attached to one extremity of the lever I4 as above described.

The cam-follower I2 is engaged by the snailcam I I or other form of cam that may be found so desirable which cam may be given a slow continuous movement or an intermittent movement. The movement of this cam is controlled by its iving mechanism to adjust the axial position of the above sleeve 30 relatively to the sleeve-like 65 extension 25 to correspond with the alteration in the loop-size of the ground thread.

The dial-cam disc has two or more supports 42 by which a. ring 43 is carried above the disc 3i and the cam 3'! is mounted on the ring 43.

By reference to Figure 5 the release portion of the cam 31 is that indicated between chainlines extending between the cam and the needlehead 44 immediately below it. The shape of the cam 31 is such that by a curved portion 45 the Wale-threads are first drawn off from the bobbin and, after the position of maximum throw of the cam rise, indicated at 46 in Figure 5, has been reached by an individual Wale-thread such as that indicated by the chain-lines 4'1, the latter is comparatively rapidly released along the reverse slope 48 of the cam. By relatively adjusting this cam angularly in relation to that portion of the stitch-cam down which the needles are drawn for loop formation (i. e. the portion which moves the needle-head down along the sloping lines indicated by the heads of the needles shown) the release of the drawn oil length of Wale-thread can be timed in relation to the loop-drawing operation of the needles so that a greater or lesser amount of tension is maintained in the walethread in accordance with the changes in tension of the ground-thread loops.

When the tension is increased by adjusting cam to retard the release of the warp-threads the tendency will be for the needles to draw less yarn into knitted loops because when the loop size is lessened by the mechanism illustrated in Figures 7 to 9 the release portion does not permit so much of the drawn oif yarn to pass to the needles as when a larger loop is being formed. In the latter event the angular position of the cam 5 is adjusted to release the warp-threads earlier and this is effected by adjusting the release portion 46 in the direction of the arrow in Figure 5.

The change in the angular position of the dial cam disc consequent upon the adjustment of the draw 01f cam 37 is not of sufii-cient magnitude to affect in any way the wrapping operation resulting frcrn the action of the dial on the warp-thread feeders in the Wale-thread feeder head. Practice has shown that the effective relationship of the feeder movement for wrapping and the associated needle movement is unimpaired by the small change incident upon the alteration of the ground-thread loop size.

The foregoing is a description of a preferred example of the invention applied to a circular lmitting machine, but it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise details thereof. Moreover the invention is not limited in its application to circular knitting machines as adjustment of the thread draw-off device relatively to the stitch cam can be similarly effected in a straight or fiat frame machine.

We claim:

1. In a knitting machine having a stitch-cam, means for supplying a ground-thread and means to supply Wale-threads to the needles, the combination of means to adjust the loop size of the knitted ground-thread, a thread draw-off device serving to draw off from each warp-thread supply and prior to the formation of a needle loop a length of warp-thread sufficient for that loop, a thread-release part associated with the drawoff device and relatively adjustable with respect to the stitch-cam in the direction of knitting, and a control member actuated in conformity with the means for controlling the ground-thread loop size and having an operative connection with the thread-release part whereby adjustment of the latter is automatically controlled in conformity with the control of the loop size of the ground-thread.

2. In a knitting machine having a stitch-cam and means to supply Wale-threads to the needles, the combination of a thread draw-off member comprising a cam surface including a thread-release portion which cam surface is to be brought seriatim into engagement with the Wale-thread to draw off from each warp-thread supply prior to the formation of aneedle loop a length of warp-thread sufiicient for that loop, and means for relatively adjusting the thread-release portion of the said cam surface and the stitch-cam in the direction of knitting.

3. In a circular knitting machine having a circular row of needles, a stitch-cam, and means to supply Wale-threads to the needles, the combination of a thread draw-off member comprising a cam surface including a thread-re-'- lease portion, which cam surface is to be brought seriatim into contact with the warp-threads to draw off from each warp-thread supply prior to the formation of a needle loop a length of warpment so that the drawoff member and the stitch-cam accompany one another in relative movement between them and the needles.

4. In a circular knitting machine having a stitch-cam and means to supply Wale-threads to the needles the combination of a thread draw-off device having a thread-release portion and serving to draw off from each warp-thread supply and prior to the formation of a needle loop a length of warp-thread sufficient for that loop, and means for relatively adjusting the thread-release portion of the draw-off device and the stitch-cam in the direction of knitting, said adjusting means comprising a gear member rotated synchronously with the main drive of the machine and having a cam surface inclined with respect. to the axis of rotation, and a second rotatable member which has a portion which is held in engagement with the cam surface, is adjustable in its position of engagement thereon and is coupled in fixed driving relation with the thread draw-off member.

5. In a knitting machine the combination according to claim 4 having a feeder-head and a carrier for the thread draw-off device in which combination the gear member, the second rotatable member, the feeder-head and the carrier are coaxial with one another and the second rotatable member has a splined or equivalent driving connection with the carrier enabling it to be axially adjusted relatively to the' gearmember without disengaging it from the carrier.

6. In a knitting machine the combination according to claim 4 having a slow-motion advancing device the action of which corresponds with the action of a ground-thread loop-size control, in which combination the gear member, the second rotatable member, the feederhead,

and a carrier for the thread draw-off device are coaxial with one another, the second rotatable member has a sliding but non-rotatable driving connection with the carrier enabling it to be axially adjustable relatively to the gear member without disengaging it from the carrier, and a flexible actuator operatively connects the said second rotatable member with the slow-motion device.

7. In a circular knitting machine the combination of a circular row of needles, a stitch-cam, means to supply wale-threads to the needles, a thread draw-01f device comprising a plate having a cam surface to be brought seriatim into engagement with the Wale-threads the said cam surface terminating in a thread-release portion, means adjustably coupling the thread draw-off device and the stitch cam so that the two are relatively rotatable in company with one another with respect to the needles, means to-supplya ground-thread to the needles, means to adjust the loop size of the ground-thread as it is taken by the needles, and means coupling the groundthread loop size adjuster with the thread drawoff device said means comprising a driving element rotatable about the axis of the machine and having a driving surface inclined with reengagement between the latter and the inclined driving surface lengthwise along that surface, and means coupling the said driven member with the thread draw-off member.

8. In a circular knitting machine the combination of a circular row of needles, a stitchcam, means to supply Wale-threads to the needles, a Wale-thread draw-01f plate having a cam surface tobe brought seriatim into engagement with the Wale-threads, the said surface having a thread-release portion at one end a main drive to impart movement to the stitchcam about the axis of the machine, and a carrier coaxial with the machine for supporting the thread draw-off plate, the said carrier comprising a rotatable driven member and a driving member rotated synchonously with the stitchcam, the said driving member having a driving surface inclined with respect to the axis of rotation, and means to adjust the driven member axially with respect to the driving member.

9 In a circular knitting machine the combination of a circular row of needles, a stitch-cam, means to supply Wale-threads to the needles, means to supply a ground-thread to the needles, means to adjust the loop size of the groundthread stitches, a spindle situated above and coaxial with the needle-cylinder, a carrier for the thread draw-off member rotatably mounted on said spindle, a driving member also rotatable about said .axis having a driving surface inclinedwith respect to the axis, a driven member which is also rotatable about said axis which has a part to engage said inclined surface and is also coupled to the carrier for the thread draw-off-memher, a member displaceable by the ground-thread loop size adjusting means and a coupling between that member and the driven member for the thread draw-01f device whereby movement of the displaceable member will raise or lower the driven member in the direction of the axis about which it rotates.

10. In a knitting machine having a bed of needles, a stitch cam, and means to supply walethreads individually to a plurality of needles, the combination of Wale-thread draw-01f means operative to draw from each Wale-thread supply, and prior to actuation of a needle to form a loop, a length of Wale-thread sufiiclent for the loop to be made by that needle, and means to adjust the timing of the release of each walethread by the draw-off means in relation to the position of engagement of its associated needle with the stitch cam.

11. In a knitting machine having a bed 01 needles, a stitch cam, and means to supply walethreads individually to a plurality of needles, the combination of Wale-thread draw-off means which by engagement with the Wale-threads draws off from each Wale-thread supply, and prior to the actuation of a needle to form a loop, a length of Wale-thread sufiicient for the loop to be made by that needle, the said drawoff means being relatively movable with respect to the Wale-threads in the sense in which the stitch cam and the needles are relatively movable, and means for relatively adjusting the draw-off device with respect to the stitch cam whereby the position at which the individual Wale-threads are released from the draw-off device is adjusted relatively to the position of en gagement of the associated needles with the stitch cam.

12. In a knitting machine having a bed 01' needles, a stitch cam, and means to supply walethreads individually to .a plurality of needles, the combination of Wale-thread draw-off means to engage the Wale-threads and to draw from each Wale-thread supply, and prior to the actuation of a needle to form .a loop, a length of Wale-thread sufficient for the loop to be made by that needle, the said draw-01f means being relatively movable with respect to the walethreads in the sense in which the stitch cam and needles are relatively movable and having a thread-release part, and means to adjust the position of the said thread-release part relatively to the stitch cam in order to adjust the timing of the release of each Wale-thread in relation to the position of engagement of its associated needle with the stitch cam.

HENRY HAROLD HOLMES.

ROBERT HAROLD ROBINSON.

Images