US2078265A

US2078265A - Fabric take-up mechanism

Info

Publication number: US2078265A
Application number: US49081A
Authority: US
Inventors: Max C Miller
Original assignee: KNITTING MACHINES CORP
Current assignee: KNITTING MACHINES Corp
Priority date: 1935-11-09
Filing date: 1935-11-09
Publication date: 1937-04-27
Anticipated expiration: 1954-04-27
Also published as: GB470053A; DE681341C; FR812428A

Description

April 27, 1937. l M Q .WLLER 2,078,265

FABRIC TAKE-UP MECHANISM Filed NOV. 9,1955

ATTORNEYS Patented Apr., 27, 1937 iT ES FABRIC TAKE-UlP MECHANISM of Delaware Application November 9, i935, Serial No. 49,081

i8 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in fabric take-up mechanisms for flat knitting machines, and more particularly for flat fullfashioned hosieryA machines of the Cotton type, in which the yneedles are moved as a unit toward and away from a fixed press edge and relatively to a series of knockover bits to knock over and to position the newly formedkloops to the backs of the needles. There is also provided with machines of this general description a fabric tensiontake-up mechanism which includes a takeup roller onto which the fabric is wound, and tensioning means for holding the successively knitted courses of the fabric in a clear position to the backs of the rising needles subsequent to the knockover.

Fabric tensioning devices of this description must have flexibility to follow the needles in their forward and back movements, and must also be carefully adjusted to provide a maximum tensioning pull which will not at the same time interfere with the proper functioning of the needles in the machine.

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved fabric tensioning and take-up mechanism of the general type above described which will have greater flexibility than such mechanisms previously developed to insure the proper operation of the machine, and is further-constructed and arranged to permit the use of a heavier take-up tension than heretofore found feasible for certain types of knitting to clear the fabric to the backs of the needles and also to reform the newly finished loops as the needles are moved rearwardly at the knockover.

It is another object of the invention to provide tensioning means for the fabric take-up roller which is well adapted to exert a relatively heavy take-up tensioning strain on thefabric, and at the same time is suicently flexible to permit a yielding action to take place to prevent any excessive increase in the fabric tension particularly during or immediately following the rapid backward movement of the needles at the knockover and prior to the movement of the needles upwardly between the sinkers.

It is another object of the invention to provide a novel and improved resilient take-up connec -tion between the take-up rollers and a newly set up fabric in which the amount of resiliency is (Ci. (i6-M9) reduced as subsequent courses are knitted and the resiliency of the newly knitted fabric is added to that provided by the take-up connection to maintain at a substantially constant value the tension and amount of stretch available between the take-up roller and the loops held on the needles.

It is a further object of the invention to pro-y vide a novel fabric tensioning and take-up mechanism of the general type set forth includingap- 10 plicant's improved resilient take-up connection in combination with applicants flexible take-up rolleritensioning means to provide a smoother and more efficient tensioning and take-up action during all stages in the knitting of a fabric, and more particularly to permit the use of a rela.- tively heavier tensioning strain to draw the fabric to the backs of the needles and to reform each' successively knitted course of loops subsequent to the knockover without in any way interfering with the proper operation of the needles or their cooperating knitting elements.

With these and other objects in view, as may hereinafter appear; a principal feature of the invention consists in the provision of a fabric takeup roller and a tensioning take-up therefor including a counterweight constructed and arranged to provide a mechanical advantage in favor of the fabric take-up roller against the take-up, so that any movement of the fabric and take-up roller in either direction Will produce an extremely slight variation in the position of the take-up, and thus to secure a relatively greater degree of flexibility and resiliency in the operation of the take-up.

Another feature of the invention consists in the provision of a take-up connection between the takeup roller and a new fabric set upon the needles which is constructed of elastic material over substantially its entire length and is further provided with means to restrict the lengthening of the connection beyond a predetermined limit.

Another feature of the invention consists in the provision of a take-up connection of this general description whichw is connected to the fabric 4 take-up roller to be wound thereon to increase the elastic tension thereof on the fabric, and to reduce the limit of stretch as additional fabric is knitted.

The several features of the present invention consist also in the combinations, devices and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed, which together with the advantages to be obtained thereby, will be readily understood by one skilled in the art from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view in side elevation illustrating the needle support of a full-fashioned hosiery machine, the fabric take-up straps, the fabric take-up rolls, and the take-up tensioning means for the rolls, only so much of the machine being shown as is necessary to show the connection of the present invention therewith; Fig. 2 is a detail view in front elevation illustrating two take-up rolls and the take-up counterweight drum shown in Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation showing one form of take-up connection or strap; Fig. 4 illustrates another form of take-up connection; and

Fig. 5 is a view in side elevation of applicants preferred form of welt wire.

The invention is disclosed in a preferred form as embodied in a fabric take-up and tensioning l mechanism which is particularly adapted for use in a dat, full-fashioned hosiery knitting machine of the Cotton type. The take-up mechanism normally employed in machines of this description comprises a shaft supported on the machine frame having mounted thereon a take-up roll for each section .onto which the fabric is wound. and take-up tensioning means for rotating the shaft to take up the fabric in the form of a takeup drum which may be connected to turn with the shaft and is actuated by means of a counterweight and a connecting cord or strap wound onto the drum.

As ordinarily constructed, the take-up rolls are small as compared with the counterweight drum, the diameter of the take-up roll being normally 2 to 21/2 inches, and that of the drum being about 6 inches, so that a leverage advantage of approximately 3 to 1 is obtained to assist the action of the counterweight to take up the fabric, and at the same time a sharp resistance is provided against any yield of the take-up rolls during the rapid rearward movement ofthe needles knockover, causes the counterweights to jerk in.

such a manner as to place an excessive strain on the needlesk precisely at the moment when the needles are moved upwardly between the sinkers.

Inasmuch as the fabric tends to contract laterally and to d raw the selvage edges inwardly, any excessive take-up strain on the fabric operates also to pull the end needles inwardly out of alignment, with consequent interference with the adjacent sinkers and injury to the machine. To avoid possible injury to the machine through misalignment of the needles as above described, it is the usual commercial practice to lighten the counterweights used4 to an extent which is objectionable. and is likely to result in uneven or imenvases perfect knitting due to insumcient take-up action at other points in the knitting cycle.

In accordance with the present invention, a

novel and improved arrangement of the take-up 'ranging from 3 to 6 inches may be employed, oneA such roll for 'each sectionof the machine being secured to a take-up shaft i2 of ordinary construction which extends the entire length of the machine and is supported at intervals along its length by the usual bracket l@ and bearings l@ on the machine frame. With the present construction there is also provided a counterweight drum k I8 having a diameter preferably of one inch loosely supported on the shaft i2, although any diameter which is smaller than that of the roll lll may be employed. The drumisy connected to turn with the shaft in the usual manner by means of a ratchet 2li rigidly secured to the shaft l2 and a pawl 22 carried on an arm 2d formed on the drum i8. A tensioning strain is applied to the drum I8 by means of counterweights 25 attached to a tape 2t which passes over pulleys 3G and 32 which may be of any well known construction,

and is secured at its other` end to be wound onto the drum 'i t.

With this construction and arrangement of the take-up mechanism in which the take-up rolls l have a considerably larger diameter than the drum it, a considerably heavier counterweight must be employed to produce the usual take-up tensioning strain which for purposes of illustration maybe assumed to be approximately 22 ounces foi'v each section. It will also be evident that a relatively Csmall oscillatory movement is imparted to the shaft l2 and the take-up roll iii and drum i8 attached thereto, as the fabric is wound onto the take-up rollroi` is slightly un;- wound therefrom following the forward and back movements of the needles 3d. The small diameter of the counterweight drum it serves to reduce still further the length of movement imparted to the counterweignts 2S during the reciprocatory movements of the take-up rolls it, and also operates to greatly reduce the rate of movement of the. weights, so that the bobbing or jerking action previously described, is substantially eliminated.

A further advantage of applicants structure consists in the fact that the use of a large take-up roll having a diameter of 4 inches or more, sub stantially twice that of the take-up rolls now in commercial use, operates to double the leverage exerted by the fabric or take-up straps to turn nthe take-up shaft l2 in its bearings, and thus greatly minimizes any resistance to the turning of the shaft which may result from tight or inadequately oiledv bearings. been found to be of great assistance to insure a smooth and substantially frictionless operation of the take-up mechanism, particularly in multiple section machines in which the shaft i2 is necessarily supported in a number of bearings spaced at frequent intervals along the length of the machine. Because of the elimination of This feature has the jerking action, and the elimination of objectionable frictional resistance to the movement of the take-up mechanism as above described, it has been found possible under certain conditions,

as for instance, in the knitting of relatively heavy yarns, to considerably increase the total amount of the'tensioning take-up strain exerted against the fabric beyond what would normally be considered feasible to position the newly formed loops to the backs of the needles without in any way interfering with the proper operation of the machine.

The present invention contemplates the provision of a novel and improved take-up connec tion or strap which is resilient throughout its entire length for connecting 'the fabric to the take-up rolls lil d'uringthe early stages in the knitting of a fabric. The manner in which applicants overall resilient strap may be employed in the machine, is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, which show take-up connections or straps 36 which are at their rear ends attached in grooves 3h formed in the peripheral surfaces of rolls.or disks 39 secured to each end of the take-up rolls i and at their forward ends provided with hooks it to engage with opposite ends of a welt wire if extending through the looped welt portion of the fabric indicated at 13. Applicants takeup strap or connection comprises a member which is resilient or elastic over substantially its entire length, and a nonelastlc member preferably supported therein and of a predetermined greater length to provide a positive limit to the amount which the take-up connection may be stretched at any point during the knitting.

Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate two preferred forms of take-up strap which may be employed, that in Fig.- 3 comprising a coil spring 46 provided 'at-one end with a loop 48 by which it may be attached to the take-up roll l0, and at its other end with a ferrule 50 and the hook 40 for engagement with the welt wire 42 above described; Within the coil spring there is also provided a link chain 52 which is connected at one end to the ferrule a positive check to the lengthening of the connection under increased tension.

An alternative form of applicants take-up strap or connection is illustrated in Fig.4, in which the strap takes the form of a hollow rubber. tube t which is provided at one end with the ferrule 5t and hook lll, and at its other end with an eye 5t for attaching the strap to the take-up roll it. construction, the link chain 52 which extends through the hollow portion of the `tube 54, and is attached thereto at its opposite ends to permit a limited amount of stretch in the connection.

Another feature of the' invention consists in the.A construction and arrangement of applicants take-up straps and welt wire to provide a connection between these elements which will permit the straps to be readily conne'ted or disconnected from the welt wire by the operator, and at the same time will provide a tight and reliable connection therebetween during machine operation. To this end the hooks Sl) of applicants takeeup straps are arranged to iit into annular grooves St formed adjacent each end of the welt wire t2, andare provided with restricted throat portions 58 to provide a yielding spring fit of the hooks onto the welt wire.

As compared with the usual take-up strap comprising a Wide non-resilient tape having a There is also provided in this short resilient section made up of fine springs to secure the requisite delicacy of take-up action. and having a portion of the tape looped around the resilient section to limit the amount of stretch, applicant is able by the use of an overall resilient member to secure the same or greater delicacy of action with a heavy spring or rubber band which depends for its resiliency upon its great length, and at the same time provides a far stronger and more sturdy construction.

Another advantage of applicants construction consists in the fact that a take-up member considerably narrower in width than the usual takev up tape or strap may be employedywhich is particularly well adapted for use with automatic or welt turning mechanism of the general type illustrated in applicants copending application Serial No. 726,285, filed May 18, 1934, to permit the insertion of the straps without interference with the welt turning mechanism which necessarily extends over the entire width of each section.

A principal advantage of applicants structure rests in the Anovel and improved mode of operation of the fabric take-up and tensioning mechanism which is secured. In operation, as "additional fabric is knitted and the take-up straps are shortened by coiling on the take-up roll i0, the resil. iency of the take-up connection or straps 36 is proportionally decreasedl to offset the resiliency and stretch inherent in the newly knitted fabric, so that the total amount of resiliency and stretch between the 'needles and the take-up rolls lll is maintained at a substantially constant value throughout the knitting of the entire fabric. It therefore becomes unnecessary for the operator to so often adjust the tension `on the take-up rolls by adding counterweights to compensate for the increased stretch as is the usual commercial practice with the take-up tensioning straps now 1n use. i

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiment shown, and that various deviations may be made therefrom without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims. More particularly, it will be understood that fabric take-up rolls and counterweight drums having other dimensions than those specifically stated may be used, in which the diameter of the take-up roll is greater than that of the counterweight drum to produce a relatively small movement of the counterweights, and in which the diameter of the take-up roll is also greater than that now in commercial use to reduce so far-as possible the effect of friction and inertia in the take-up mechanism.

The invention having been described, what is claimed is:

1. A fabric tensioning take-up connection for connecting the fabric to the fabric take-up roll of a at full-fashioned knitting machine comprising a connecting element constructed for elasticity over substantially its entire length between the fabric and said roll, and having a predetermined Vlimit of stretch.

2. A fabric tensioning take-up connection for connecting the fabric to the fabric take-up roll of a flat fullifashioned knitting machine comprising a connecting element constructed for elasticity over substantially its entire length be-` tween the fabric and said roll, and means to restrict the lengthening of the connection within a predetermined limit.

3. A fabric tensioning take-up connection for connecting the fabric to the fabric take-up roll of a fiat full-fashioned lmitting machine comprising a connecting element constructed for elasticity over substantially its entire length between the fabric and said roll, and a non-elastic element to restrict the lengthening of the connection within a predetermined limit.

4. A fabric tensioning take-up connection for connecting the fabric to the fabric take-up 'roll of a at full-fashioned knitting `machine compirising a connecting element constructed for elasticity over substantially its entire length between the fabric and said roll, and a non-elastic element of a predetermined greater length to restrict the lengthening of the connection.'

5. A fabric tensioning take-up connection for connecting the fabric to the fabric take-up roll of a flat full-fashioned knitting machine comprising a connecting element constructed for elasticity over substantially its entire length between the fabric and said roll, and a non-elastic element of a predetermined greater length embodied within said elastic element and attached to each end thereof to restrict the lengthening of the connection.

i 6. A fabric tensioning take-up connection for connecting the fabric vto the. fabric take-up roll of a at full-fashioned knitting machine comprising a hollow connecting element constructed for elasticity over substantially its entire length between the fabric and said roll, and a non-elastic connecting element within said-hollow portion connected at each end to the corresponding ends of the elastic element and of a predetermined greater length to restrict the lengthening of the connection.

7. A fabric tensioning take-up connection for connecting the fabric to the fabric take-up roll -of a flat full-fashioned knitting machine comprising a coiled spring connecting element arranged to be connected at one end of the fabric and at its other end to a take-up roll, and a non-` elastic element of a predetermined greater length supported within said spring element and ccnnected to each end thereof to restrict the lengtheningof the connection. v

8. A fabric tensioning take-up connection for connecting the fabric to the fabric take-up roll of a at full-fashioned knitting machine comprising a hollow rubber connecting element arranged to be connected at one end to the fabric and at itsother end to the take-up roll. and a no-elastic element of a predetermined greater length supported within said rubber connection and secured to each end thereof to restrict the lengthening of the connection.

9. A` fabric take-up and tensioning device for fiat knitting machines comprising a welt wire having an annular groove formed in the periphery thereof adjacent each end, and a pair of resilient take-up connections, each having secured thereto a spring hook with a restricted throat'portion to provide a spring fit of said hook onto the groved portion of said welt wire.

10. A fabric take-up and tensioning device for at knitting machines comprising a' fabric take-up roll, means for exerting a take-up tensioning pull on the roll, and fabric tensioning take-up connections for connecting the fabric to the roll, each comprising an element elastic over substantially its entire length connected at one end to the fabric and at its other end to be wound onto the roll and a non-elastic element of a predetermined greater length similarly connected at each end of the connection to restrict the lengthening of the connection.

1i. A fabric take-up and tensioning device for at knitting machines comprising a fabric takeup roll, means for exerting a take-up tensioning pull on the roll, and fabric tensioning take-up connections for connecting the fabric to the roll, each comprising an element elastic over substanstially its entire length connected at one end to the fabric and at its other end to be wound onto the roll, and having embodied therein a non-elastic element of a predetermined greater length, said elements having their ends' attached to each other to restrict the lengthening of the connection.

12. A fabric take-up and tensioning device for flat knitting machines comprising a fabric takeup roll, means for' exerting a take-up tensioning pull on the roll, and fabric take-up tensioning connections connected at one end' to the fabric and at their other end to be wound onto the roll, each of said connections comprising an element elastic over substantially its entire length to provide a degree of' resiliency between the fabric and theroll which is proportionally decreased as the connections are' wound onto the roll.

13. A fabric take-up and tensioning device for fiat knitting machines comprising a fabric takeup roll, means for exerting a take-up tensioning pull on the roll, and fabric take-up tensioning connections connected at one end to the fabric and at their other end to be wound onto the roll, each of said connections comprising an element elastic over substantially its entire length and having a predetermined limit of stretch to provide a degree of resilient stretch between the fabric and roll which is proportionally decreased as the connections are wound onto the roll.

14. A fabric take-up and tensioning device for at knitting machines comprising a counterweight, a counter weight drum connected to turn with the roll, a counterweight supporting strap connected to be wound onto the drum, said drum having a proportionately smaller diameter than that of the roll, and fabric tensioning take-up connections connected at one end to the fabric and at their other end to be wound onto the roll and having a predetermined limit of resilient stretch to provide a degree of resilient stretch between the fabric and roll which is proportionally decreased as the connections are wound onto the rol l5. A fabric take-up and tensioning device for fiat knitting machines comprising a counterweight, a counterweight drum connected to turn with the roll, a counterweight supporting strap connected to be wound onto the drum, said drum having a proportionately smaller diameter than that of the roll, and fabric tensioning take-up connections connected at one end to the fabric and at their other end to be wound onto the roll and having a predetermined limit of stretch, and means rendered operative as additional fabric is produced to proportionally decrease the resilient stretch of said connections to maintain a substantially constant factory of resiliency between the needles and the take-up roll.

16. A fabric take-up and tensioning device for fiat knitting machines comprising a fabric takeup roll, a counterweight, a counterweight drum connected to turn with the roll, a counterweight supporting strap connected to be wound onto the drum, said drum having a smaller diameter than that of the roll so that any movement of the peripheral surface of the roll will produce a proportionately smaller movement of the counter- Weight.

17.- A fabric take-up and tensioning device for at knitting machines comprising a fabric takeup roll, a counterweight, a counterweight drum, a counterweight supporting strap connected to be wound onto the drum, means connecting said drum to impart a take-up tensioning strain to the roll, said roll, drum and connecting means being constructed and arranged so that a movement of the peripheral surface of the roll will produce a proportionally smaller movement of the peripher- 10 al surface of the drum.

18. A fabric take-up and tensioning device for flat knitting machines comprising a fabric takeup roll having a diameter of approximately 3 to 6 inches, a counterweight, a counterweight drum having a proportionately smaller diameter, a counterweight supporting strap connected to be wound-onto the drum, and means connecting the roll to turn with the drum.

MAX C. 1\EII..LE1-'t.l