US2083333A - Knitting machine - Google Patents

Description

June 8, 1937. R. H. LAwoN KNITTING MACHINE Filed Feb. 5, 1954 3 -SheetsSheet l June 8, 1937. R. H. LAWSON KNITTING MACHINE Filed-Feb. 3-, 1934 5 Sheets-Shea? 2 INVENTOR: fiaaszrfluwsozz' June 8, 193 7.

- R. H. LAWSON 2,083,333 KNITTING MACHINE Filed Feb. 3, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 j [NI/EH70}? RMERTHLAWM/Y, 37W

A Tryl Patented June 8; 1937 KNITTING MACHINE Robert H. Lawson, Pawtuoket, a. 1., "time a Hemphill Company, Central Falls, B. L, a corporation of Massachusetts i Application February 3, 1934, Serial'No. 709,545

This invention relates to improvements in knitting machines, the drawings and the following description disclosing theinvention as being applied to a so' called fiat or; full-fashioned knitting machine although the invention is applicable to other types of knitting machines.

In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a View in end elevation of a so-called flat knitting machine showing how the invention is applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a detail view of the thread marking device shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan'view oi the mechanism shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken-on the line 44, Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a'fragmentary view in side elevation similar to Fig. 1 but showinga modification.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, the 20 frame I of the knitting machine has mounted thereon a needle bar 2 in the usual manner, the said 'bar having fixedly mounted therein spring beard needles 3 as is usual in full-fashioned machines. Also fixedly mounted upon the frame 1 is a sinker carrying bar 4 having sinkers 5 slidably mounted therein.- Mounted above the needle and sinker bars are guides such as 8 for feeding threads such as I to the sinkers in the 'usualmanner by moving back and forth across the frame longitudinally of the needles and sinkers. From bobbins 8 the threads I pass to the guides 6 through a thread marking mechanism illobeing lightly tensioned as by means of springs As shown, aj thread I is led from the source of supply such as a bobbin 8 through porcelain or other eyelets -ll provided in arms 12 upstanding from a plate l3 rigidly mounted upon. a bracket 14 as by means of screws l5. The bracket 14 projects laterally from the machine frame being connected thereto as by means of screws l6. Between the eyelets H and connected to the plate fl3 as by screws such as H is a circular receptacle l8 having holes l3 and 20 for the passage of the thread i therethrough. Within the receptacle l8 are plates 2!, 22 which are disposed in parallel relation and between which and the op-- posite inner walls of the receptacle I8 is a wick 23 of absorbent material, which is supported upon a pin 23 connected to receptacle l8, as well as 'a' quantity of marking liquid 24 which may be a transient dye, i. e. one that will be washed out or disappear during the finishing oi the stocking. Normally the thread 1 passes 55 through the holes I8 and 28 being under sufllcient tension to be maintained above the wick 23; however, at predetermined times as determined in a manner hereinafter to be described, the thread i is depressed downwardly to the position shown in Fig. 4 where it is. in contact with the wick 23. 5 This contact 'of the threadwith the wick is momentary with the I result. that the thread is periodically spotted with the. transient dye for a purpose hereinafter to be more clearly set forth.

The hereinbefore described movements of the 10 thread I in contact with the wick 23 are eflected by means of an Leshaped bar or rod 25 which is automatically movable to andirom the full .and dotted line positions of Fig. 2. The rod 25 is adiustablly connected as by a screw 26 to a 001- lar 21 which latter is in turn adiustably mounted on a rod 28 as by means of a set screw 23. The rod 28 extends downwardly through a hole in plate i3 the lower end of the rod 28 being pivotally mounted as at 38 to one end of a lever 3! pivoted at 32 to the machine'frame. Inter: mediate its ends the lever 3| has attached thereto a cam or follower 33 which is periodically engaged by a cam or cams on a drum 34, the latter being driven in any convenient manner as by means of a belt 35 so that the lever 3| is rocked once each course of knitting, i. e., twice during the complete back and forth reciprocation of the yarn guides and slurcock.

The rod 28 is elevated by cams on the cam drum 34 as just described and is lowered to the position shown in Fig 1 by means of a coil spring 36 which at one end engages the lower face of the plate l3 and at its other end engages collar 31 adJustably fastened to the rod 28 as by means 35' of a set screw 38. Another collar 33 is adjustably fastened to the upper portion of the rod 28 as by means of a set screw 40, the collar 31 serving to compress the spring 36 upon the rod 28 being elevated by the cam drum 34, and the colv40 lar 33 serving'to limit the downward movements of the rod 28 due to the expansion of the coil spring 38. The lowering of the rod 28 as by means of the spring 36 causes the guide or follower 33 to drop off a cam or cam drum 34 where it rests until further rotation of the drum 34 again elevates the rod 28 to the full line position shown in Fig. 2. The lowering and subsequent effective during reciprocation in the opposite direction, the first cam face fails to measure off If the sinker I as much yarn as is measured by the cam face second mentioned, the result being that during alternate courses tighter stitches are knitted than during intervening courses giving to the fabric a so-called wash-board appearance. The objection may be overcome by the marking mech- 'anism hereinbefore described. which provides a convenient means for readily detecting when-the yarn is not being knitted uniformly. Assuming the yarn guide to have reached the limit of its traverse in one direction and to have stopped momentarily, Fig. 1, the marking mechanism is brought into .contact with the'yarn the rod 25 being immediately thereafter elevated. Now further assuming that during the next reciprocatory movement of the yarn guides andslurcock that the mark just made on the yarn is moved to the position indicated at 4|, Fig. 1, as the yarn is measured for the next course ofknitting, the distance between the marking mechanism 9 and the point 4| measures the amount of the yarn knittedduring the said course. As the yarn guide comes to rest at the opposite end of the bankof needles, the marking mechanism is again actuated to mark the thread after which the thread guide 6 moves in a direction opposite to the direction first mentioned. If the cam surface effective during the last mentioned movement of the yarn guide and slurcock has been somewhat worn away, the same length of yarn as before will not be knitted, the result being that the last marking will move only to the position such as that indicated at 42. Consequently, by noting where the markings 4|, 42 stop while the yarn guide is momentarily at rest the operator of the machine can readily determine whether uniform fabric is being knitted and, furthermore, can at once determine which stroke of the yarn guides and slurcock is causing the greatest amount of yarn to be knitted, after which the operator can effect adjustment or replacement of the sinker' cam.

Referringto Fig. 5, there is shown a mechanism indicated generally by the numeral 43,

. which is mounted on the bracket 4 and which draws sufiicient thread preparatory to each course of knitting suflicient for the'knitting of that course, and thus avoids unevenness in the knitted fabric which frequently results from frequent changes in the yarn tension due to the thread tending to stick or adhere to a cone 8 at certain places in the cone winding.

Attached to the bracket H in any convenient manner is a supplemental bracket 44 upstanding from which are a series of lugs 45, 46 having 'eyelets therein through which a thread 1. passes.

Between the lugs 45 and 46 there is an upstanding bracket 41- pivotally carrying a clamp-48, a

spring 49 normally maintaining the said clamp 48 in engagement with the thread 1. Thus the clamp 48 prevents movement of the thread 1 in the direction of the cone 8 but permits the thread I to pass freely in the opposite direction. Between the lugs 45 are rods 50 which are adjustably and fixedly carried by a plate and at their upper ends pass through holes in the bracket 44, the said upper ends being provided with holes or notches receiving the thread 1. The intermediate rod 5|) is elongated extending downwardly as at 52 and being pivotally connected at 53 to a lever 54 which may be pivotally supported as is the lever 3|, cams on the drum 34 periodically rocking the said lever 54. Between the lugs 45 are rods 55 whichare adjustably and fixedly carried by a bar or plate 56 and pass up wardly through holes in the bracket 44, said rods 55 having holes or notches in their upper ends to receive a thread The intermediate rod 55 is elongated extending downwardly as at 51, the lower end thereof being pivoted at 58 to a lever 59. The lever :59 may be pivotally mounted as is the lever 3| and is periodically actuated by cams carried by the drum 34.

At the end of each reciprocatory movement of the thread guides, they are momentarily at rest and at such time the lever 59 is actuated to move the rods 55 to the elevated position shown in Fig. 5, which draws sufficient thread for the next course through the clamp 48. Preparatory to the aforesaid movement of the lever 58, the lever 54 is rocked to move the rods 58 from the position shown in Fig. 5 to a relatively elevated position such as that of the rods 55. The movement of the rods 58 causes thread to be drawn from the source of supply,'i. e., a bobbin 8, the clamp 48 preventing thread from being drawn back, i. e., to the left, Fig. 5. Obviously the needles knit an amount of yarn determined by the loop measuring instrumentalities such as the sinkers, and the extent of the upward movement of the rods 58, 55 is immaterial so longas sufflcient thread is drawn from the source of thread supply to provide enough slack in the thread to permit the knitting of the ensuing course without the sinkers being required to draw additional thread from the source of thread supply and through the clamp 48.

The mechanism shown in Fig. 5 for pulling thread from the source of supply thus avoiding unevenness in the knitted fabric, may be -com-' bined with a mechanism such as that shown in the remaining fi es of the drawings.

The objections hereinbefore specifically noted which are overcome by using the mechanisms shown in the drawings hereinbefore disclosed, are cited merely by way of example.

Although in the foregoing description, fullfashioned knitting has been specifically mentioned, it is not the intention thereby to'limit the invention to full-fashioned knitting as, ob-

viously, the invention is equally applicable to circular knitting as where reciprocatory movements of a needle cylinder effect the knitting of split fabric. Furthermore, the invention can be applied to so-called Burson or flat independent relative reciprocatory movements between the yarn feeding means and the needles and sinkers, periodically actuated means adapted to mark the yarn at different places-along the length thereof, thereby indicating to the operator of 4. In a knitting machine having needles-and yarn feeding means for the needles reciprocating relatively thereto, a yarn supply and means interposed between the supply and needles for imparting to the yarn and at spaced points along 5 the length thereof certain visible indications.

ROBERT H. LAWSON.

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