US2331447A - Straight bar knitting machine - Google Patents

Description

1943- G. WILDERS ETAL 2,331,447

STRAIGHT BAR KNITTING MACHINE I F iled March 13, 1942 -2 Sheet s-Sh e'k. 1

//w//v70/?s GEORGE WILDERS ANb WILLIAM G. MACDONALD Patented Oct. 12, 1943 Macdonald, Loughborough, England, assignors to William Cotton Limited, Loughborough,

England Application March 13, 1942,- Serial No.434,606

In' Great Britain January 22, 1941 3 (llairhs. (Cl. 66 -109) This invention isfor improvements in or relating to straight bar knitting machines and is concerned with Cottons patent and other straight bar knittin machines of the type wherein a knocking-over bar has movements in the direction of the length of the needles imparted to it by one mechanism and movements transversely of the line of needles imparted to it by another mechanism. In such machines it has heretofore been the practice to incorporate in the second mechanism rocking levers which extend in the general direction of the length of the needles and at their free upper ends are each provided with a slot in which a pin on the knocking-over bar works. These pin-and-slot connections therefore serve to transmit the secondkind of movements to the knocking-over bar and also permit the latter to partake of the first kind of movements. It has the disadvantage, however, that it is difiicult to provide a working fit between the pin and the slot which is free from play when the machine is new, and that it is impossible to prevent play developing during the working life of the machine. This play, which in turn results in a certain play in the knocking-over bar, has serious consequences in the actual fabric produced, but also renders it very difiicult to incorporate a satisfactory automatic welt turning apparatus in the machine. An object of this invention is to provide an arrangement whereby such play is obviated.

To this end the present invention provides a straight bar knitting machine of the type specified, characterised in that one of the mechanisms comprises at least one driving member which is movable in the appropriate direction, and a connection between said driving member and the knocking-over bar which connection consists of a link pivoted to the bar or to a part associated therewith and to the said member. It will therefore be appreciated that the swinging movement of this link about its pivots permits the knockingover bar to partake of the two kinds of movements before referred to, and that it is readily possible to construct the pivots for the links (e. g. in the form of cylindrical pivot pins received in suitable cylindrical bores) with an adequate area of bearing surface and without initial play or looseness and without undue liability to the development of such play during the working life of the machine. Preferably, the link is incorporated in the second said mechanism and the driving member is movable transversely of the line of the needles.

The foregoing and other features of the invention set out in the appended claims are incorporated in the construction now to be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which 7 I Figure 1 is a front eievation of one end of the knocking-over bar and the operating mechanism thereat;

Figure 2 is a sectional elevation thereof;

Figure 3 is a section through the line aforesaid, while Figure 4 is a similar view but shows a small modification. I r

In the illustrated construction, applied to a Cottons patent knitting machine, only those'parts of the machine that are relevant to the presentinvention are shown, the other parts being well understood'in the art. The line of needles is indicated at N and the knocking-over bar It, (or each of them in the case of a multi-division machine) equipped with knocking-over bits H, is

supported at the upper ends of at least two substantially vertical arms one of which is shown at l2 and which at their lower ends are pivoted on short arms or lugs l3 projecting substantially horizontally forward from a horizontal rock shaft ll. The foregoing constitutes the first mechanism aforesaid and it will be appreciated that as the rock shaft 14 is rocked the knocking-over bar IE] is raised and lowered. The second mechanism aforesaid comprises a second horizontal rock shaft I5, slightly above and to the front of the first rock shaft M, on which second shaft l5 an upwardly projecting lever It (the driving member aforesaid) is secured at each end of the knocking-over bar. The means whereby these rock shafts Hi, and I5, are rocked is well understood in the art and needs no illustration herein. In a suitable horizontal bore i1 formed in a member l8 projecting from each end of the knocking-over bar It! or from the associated arm I2 a pivot pin IQ, projecting from a short link 29 is rotatably received. The other end of each link 28 is pierced with a horizontal cylindrical bore 2| rotatably receiving a cylindrical pivot pin 22 projecting horizontally from the arm I6, the central line of the link being substantially horizontal. The link 2t may therefore be regarded as a crank or eccentric. The pins 19, 22, are a good working fit in their bores, and their diameter is sufiicient to provide an adequate area of bearing surface.

Preferably each pivot pin 22 second-mentioned is adjustable horizontally in a direction laterally of its axis. 22 has a shank 23 which is secured in a horizontal slot 24 in the top of arm It. An adjustment To this end each said pin screw 25 extends through the arm 16, in the direction of the length of the slot 24, to bear on the pin shank 23. The said shank 23 has flats 23' on its periphery to engage the sides of the slot 24, thereby preventing the pin from turning, and is provided at its end with a nut 26 whereby a collar 21, formed on the pin between the cylindrical portion thereof and the shank, is drawn against the outer face of the arm I6. Thereby the pin may be clamped in any position, in the length of the slot 24, to which it has been adjusted by the adjustment screw 25. In the modification shown in Fig. 4, the slot 24, in which the shank 23 is clamped, is formed in the member, l8 while the pivot pin I9 is rotatably received in bore [1 at the top of arm I6. Vertical adjustment of the arms l2, and a means whereby adjustment for parallelism between the knocking-over bits and the line of.

sinkers may be achieved, is provided by a vertical slot 21, in each short arm or lug I3, receiving the pivot 28 of the associated vertical arm 12, and by an adjustment screw 29 and lock nut 30.

We claim:

' 1. In a knitting machine of the Cotton type, having a line of vertical needles and a knockingover bar carrying knocking-over bits; a rockshaft below said bar having arms extending horizontally therefrom; upwardly extending supsecond rock-shaft for movement transversely of the line of needles; a connecting link extending between each of said bar-supporting members and the upper end of one of said levers; and pivotal connections between said levers and links, and between said links and supporting members, each of said connections comprising a cylindrical bore formed in one of the elements and a cylindrical pin carried by the companion element and journaled in said bore.

2. In a Cottons patent knitting machine having a line of vertical needles, a knocking-over bar and knocking-over bits carried thereby: a rock-shaft provided with a rocker-arm; a member connecting said rocker-arm and knockingover bar, for transmitting motion from said arm to the bar in a direction substantially longitudinal of the needles; a second rock-shaft, provided with a lever member; and a link having a pivot pin at one end and a cylindrical journal at the other, one of said members having a pivot pin engaging said link journal and the other of said members having a cylindrical journal receiving said link pin, thus providing pivotal connections between the link and each of said members'whereby the link may transmit motion from the second rock-shaft and its lever member to said first member to move the knocking-over bar in a direction substantially transverse of the needles while accommodating the aforesaid movement of the bar in the longitudinal direction.

3. vA combination according to claim 2, wherein the member carrying a pivot pin is provided with a slot in which said pin is mounted; and means for firmly securing the pin in any desired position in said slot.

GEORGE WILDERS. WIILIAMI GORDON MACDONALD.

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