US2422232A - Wrapping mechanism - Google Patents

Description

June 17, 1947.

o. FREGEOLLE WRAPPING MECHANISM Filed July 27, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 arm/PI? Ail/mag:

June 17, 1947. I o; FREGEOLLE 2,422,232

WRAPPING MECHANISM Filed July 27, 1945 2 Sheets-Shegc- 2 Mama Patented June 17, 1947 Nl'lD STATE ATENT OFFICE WRAPPING MECHANISM Application July 27, 1945, Serial No. 607,300

2 Claims.

This invention relates to knitting machines of the circular, independent needle type particularly to the horn forming a part of the mechanism for producing wrap patterns in knitted fabrics. The invention is particularly valuable for use in machines of the superposed, coaxial cylinder type, such, for example, as that disclosed in co-pending application for U. S. Patent #559,136, filed October 14, 1944, although it i not necessarily limited thereto. However, since the invention was made for use in such a two cylinder machine of the Banner type, it will be described in connection therewith. As is coin mon in two cylinder machines and described in the application mentioned above, the machine is provided with two cylinders in axial alignment one above the other and rotatable at the same speed. Double ended needles are used which are capable of knitting in either cylinder and these are associated with means whereby they are operated to knit or to be transferred from one cylinder to the other.

The wrap mechanism of which the present invention forms a part is shown in the above mentioned application as an eocentrically mounted spindle provided at its lower end with a Wrapping head which may be of any one of several types used on single cylinder circular knitting machines, the cylinders being separated sufficiently and the wrap spindle so mounted that the wrapping head can perform its usual wrapping operations in substantially the usual way in relation to needles knitting in the lower cylinder.

A wrap horn forms a part of the wrap mechanism and functions in the same way as in single cylinder machines. Such horns and their purpose have not only been shown and described in numerous patents but have been used for many years so that no detailed description of their Chadactor and functions is required here.

The Wrap horn of this invention is a modification of the usual type of horn and, as already stated, will be described in connection with the Banner type of two cylinder circular knitting machines disclosed in the co-pending application for U. S. Patent #559,136 for which it was particularly designed. The drawings are also based upon this machine and in them:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of the wrap horn of this invention viewed from below together with the upper needle cylinder and a wrapping head;

Fig. 2 is a View illustrating the eiiect of the usual way of wrapping upon the leading needle of a group being wrapped;

Y which also illustrates diagrammatically the knitting cams and the paths followed by the needles working in the lower cylinder and by their operating sliders, one needle and one slider being shown.

As is well-known, the needle cylinders l and 2 and wrapping head 3 rotate at the same angular velocity but because the diameter of the wrapping head is much smaller than that of the cylinder the linear velocity of the cylinder is much the greater. Because of this and because the wrapping head is eccentrically mounted so as to overlap the needle cylinder when in operating position, one or more wrapping eyelets swing out across the needle circle and then back inside of it again to wrap one or more yarns around any one or more of the needles capable of passing by the eyelets while the eyelets are outside of the needle circle. The needles to be wrapped may be selected in the usual way.

Since in two cylinder knitting machines of the oo-axial type the needles when knitting in the lower cylinder 2 nevertheless project at times into the upper cylinder i it is essential that they be kept in alignment so that they can enter the needle slots of the upper cylinder without clifficulty. In Fig. 2 the lower of the upper cylinder 5 and the upper end of lower cylinder 2 are shown. It is assumed that a six needle panel wrap is being made. A shown in Fig. 2, a wrap yarn d extends from the last needle 5 wrapped in a previous course under and over wrap horn l5 and around the first needle l to be wrapped to an eyelet 3 of the wrapping head 3. Needle 5 and the two to the right thereof are shown at wrapping level. This level is also indicated at 9 in Fig. 4L. Thereafter the needles are raised still higher as shown at ill and H in Fig. 4 to clear the latches of the old loops of both the body and wrap yarns. in Fig. 4 the path followed by the needle operating sliders is indicated by the numeral i2 for the needles being wrapped and by l3 for the other needles, the common parts of the slider paths being generally indicated by it.

Referring again to Fig. 2 it will be seen that during the wrapping operation and the initial stages of the knitting movements the needles project a considerable distance from the lower cylinder 2- without support other than that provided by the cylinder slots. As is well known, the tension on the wrap yarn, caused by the path fol,- lowed by it around the Wrap horn, is unavoidably 3 heavy so that, under the conditions above described, it is almost inevitable that the leadin needle I will be sprung out of line as shown in Fig. 2 and it is quite possible that it will be sprung to such an extent that the chamfer with which the lower end of each upper cylinder slot is usually provided is insufilcient to insure that this needle will enter its slot, such as it, in the upper cylinder. This is particularly likely to happen when a plurality of yarns are being wrapped around the same needles because, obviously, the pull against the leading needle is increased. A second wrap yarn it from a second wrap eyelet ii is indicated in the drawing. In any event, the effect upon the needle and, consequently, upon the fabric through such springing and striking the lower end of slot i5 is bad. One of the purposes of the present invention is to eliminate such springing by removing the strain of the wrap yarn from needle 1 so that it remains in accurate alignment with its slot l5 without other support than that supplied by the corresponding slot of the lower cylinder 2.

As is well known and as will be seen in Figs. 1 and 4, the wrap horn 6 tapers substantially continuously from one end to the other. At the point on the wrap horn at which the wrap yarn or yarns will be positioned when the leading nee dle 1 to be wrapped is substantially at the height shown in Figs. 2 and 3 or about to enter the upper cylinder slot 55 the horizontal dimension of wrap horn 9 is substantially reduced to form a notch lid. Thus at this point the inside contour of the wrap horn is stepped outwardly abruptly. The result is that the tension on the wrap yarn is abruptly and momentarily released so that it is relatively loose.

Therefore, the leading needle '3 is not sprung out of line as shown in Fig. 2 but remains in alignment with its upper cylinder slot i5 as shown in Fig. 3. In Fig. 3 the looseness of the wrap yarn 4 at this instant is also shown in somewhat exaggerated manner to make the operation of this part of the invention perfectly clear. Thus without encumbering the limited space between the two cylinders with an additional needle guide ing device this serious difficulty has been overcome very simply and inexpensively.

A further feature of the wrap horn of this invention is best shown in Fig. 4. Ordinarily a wrap horn, viewed in elevation, is substantially straight. The tip it? of the wrap horn of this invention, as seen in Fig. 4, is bent upwardly and then downwardly. It follows substantially the paths of the needle hooks while they are passing from the wrapping point to the knitting point.

Thepurpose of curving the wrap horn in this way is to insure that the newly produced wrap will remain above the needle latches until the old loops are cast 011. A difficulty in this respect is encountered with wrap horn of the conventional shape. By this invention, as will be evident without further explanation, the wrap yarns by being made to follow the path of the needle hooks are definitely and progressively maintained at the proper levels until they are about to be knit.

A further improvement provided by the wrap horn of this invention is shown in .Figs. 1 and 4. It consists of a thin rod or wire 59 soldered or otherwise fastened to the inner end of the wrap 4 horn or to its supporting shaft 29 and extendil'lg upwardly at an angle as shown. This wire insures that the wrap yarn or yarns will not catch upon the inner end of wrap horn 6 or its supporting shaft 29.

Also, if desired, the wrap horn may be provided with a small downwardly extending brush 2| adiacent its inner end, the purpose of which is to hold down loose ends of yarn and keep them inside the needle circle so that they cannot possibly be caught by the hooks of any of the needles and knit into the fabric. Such loose ends occur, for example, when a yarn change is made.

Although this invention has been described in connection with a particular type of two cylinder knitting machine, its use is not limited thereto or to two cylinder machines of any type. To the contrary, the invention is considered as having a breadth adequate to cover the use of the invention on any type of knitting machine. a

I claim: 7

1. For a knitting machine having co-axial superposed cylinders and needles adapted to knit in either cylinder, a rigid wrap horn, adapted to be substantially horizontally positioned within the cylinders, the inner edge of which is of unbroken curvature in the direction of its tip to a point at which a needle or the leading needle of a group of needles in the lower cylinder which have been selected for wrapping areabout to enter the upper cylinder, said curvature being abruptly stepped inwardly at this point and then continuing unbroken to the tip so that the strain imposed by the wrap yarn upon the leading needle selected for wrapping will be relieved when said needle is about to enter theupper cylinder.

2. For a knitting machine having co-axial superposed cylinders and needles adapted to knit in either cylinder and to be transferred from one cylinder to the other, a rigid wrap horn, adapted to be substantilaly horizontally positioned within the cylinders, the inner edge of which is of unbroken curvature in the direction of itstip to a point at which a needle or the leading needle of a group of needles in the lower cylinder which 'have been selected for wrapping are about to enter the upper cylinder, saidcurvature-be'ing abruptly stepped inwardly at this point to create a substantially rectangular shoulder and then continuing unbroken to the tip so that the strain imposed by the wrap yarn upon the leading nee dle selected for wrapping will, be relieved when said needle is about to enter the upper cylinder.

OSCAR FREGEOLLE.

REFERENQES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

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