US2750773A

US2750773A - Thread-feeding attachment for knitting frames

Info

Publication number: US2750773A
Application number: US409467A
Authority: US
Inventors: Virchaux Paul; Korber Hans
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1953-05-20
Filing date: 1954-02-10
Publication date: 1956-06-19
Anticipated expiration: 1973-06-19
Also published as: GB756097A; DE1074810B

Description

June 19, 1956 P. VIRCHAUX ET AL THREAD-FEEDING ATTACHMENT FOR KNITTING FRAMES 3 Sheets-Sheet l 1 Anew/73,96, ma Hfll/ x Filed Feb. 10, 1954 4 A44: KafBER.

3 SheetsSheet 2 P. VIRCHAUX ET AL June 19, 1956 THREAD-FEEDING ATTACHMENT FOR KNITTING FRAMES Filed Feb. 1 0, 1954 93 38 37 I26 I18 43 4/ 85 88 1238396 05a June 9, 9 P. VIRCHAUX ET AL 2,750,773

THREAD-FEEDING ATTACHMENT FOR KNITTING FRAMES Filed Feb. 10, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 United States Patent THREAD-FEEDING ATTACHMENT FOR KNITTING FRAMES Paul Virchaux, Saint-Blaise, and Hans Korber, Fribourg, Switzerland Application February 10, 1954, Serial No. 409,467

Claims priority, application Switzerland May 20, 1953 8 Claims. (Cl. 66-432) Thread-feeding attachments on knitting frames often comprise a rotary disc against which the thread is pushed by a thread-feeding roller. The thread thus is drawn from the spool and fed to the needles. As required, said roller is set a certain distance from the center of said disc to supply the thread to the needles at a corresponding speed. Such setting or adjustment is carried out manually and is not changed during the operation of the knitting frame.

The main object of our present invention is to provide means for adjusting the thread-feeding roller for the purpose of varying the thread speed.

The thread-feeding attachment for knitting machines, as disclosed by our present invention, comprises a disc rotating at uniform speed and a roller which pushes the thread to be supplied against said disc. Said attachment is characterized by a mechanism for moving at predeterminable speeds said roller in a meridian plane of the disc with respect to the axis of rotation of the latter, between positions determined by a plurality of pre-adjustable path-limiting stops.

In a preferred form of such attachment, said roller is rotatably mounted on a member, and said mechanism comprises a hydraulically movable operating piston for moving said member together with said roller, and a pump for delivering operating liquid to one or the other side of said piston, the pump output being adjustable for the purpose of varying the piston speed.

One form of the attachment disclosed is shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a schematic front view of a knitting frame on which the attachment is mounted,

Fig. 2 shows part of a longitudinal or vertical section through the attachment on the line II-II of Fig. 4, certain parts having been omitted,

Fig. 3 is part of a longitudinal or vertical section through the attachment on the line III-III of Fig. 4,

Fig. 4 a is a plan view in direction of the arrow IV of Fig. 2,

Fig. 5 is a side view in direction of the arrow V of Fig. 2,

Fig. 6 is part of a horizontal section on the line Vl-Vl of Fig. 3, and

Fig. 7 is a top plan view of certain securing and mounting means belonging to the attachment.

In Fig. l is shown a circular knitting frame of known construction on which is mounted the novel thread-feeding attachment. The structure of theknitting frame will be described here only as far as is required for a clear understanding of the present invention.

On the supporting frame 1 of the knitting frame is mounted the top frame 2 in which is disposed the needleand-sinker cylinder 3. Thread spools 5 are mounted on abracket 4 of which the supporting column 24 is accented to the supporting frame 1. The threads 5a, which practically are non-elastic, run from the spools 5 via guide rollers 6 (thread brake) and through holes of a guide member 7 to a supply member (not shown) from rotating about their own axes.

ice

2 which feeds them in free order to the needles of cylinder 3. The tubular article 8 obtained as a result of the knitting o eration runs between two take-off rollers 9 to awinding drum (not shown) The cams for driving the needles and shakers of cylinder 3 are controlled, as known, through rods (not shown) by means of various cams 10 which are mounted on a shaft 11. The latter at certain time intervals is advanced step by step by means of a clutch 12 of which the engaging element 'is controlled by pe'gs such as 13, which are attached to certain members of an endless control chain 14. The driving member of clutch 12 is operatively connected "to a main shaft through reduction gears or the like. A fast pulley 15 is fixed to said main shaft, and a loose pulley is mounted on the latter. The

main shaft for adjustment purposes may be slowly rotated by means of a crank handle 17 which normally is not rotating therewith.

A highly elastic thread 20 issuing from a spool 5A runs over a further guide roller 6 and a guide roller 21 to the thread-feeding attachment 22 which forms the subject-matter of our present invention. In said attachment, thread 20 runs to a thread-supply means '23 which is controlled in conventional way and manner so as to feed this thread '20 also to the needles of cylinder 3 at the desired times.

To column 24 is clamped, in conventional manner, the bearing 26 (Fig. 7) of shaft 27 to which is fixed a disc 28 of the thread-feeding attachment; Shaft 2'7 by means of a pair of

helical wheels

29, 36 of a vertical llEliflSlTllS sion shaft 31 is driven at uniform speed by the main shaft of the knitting frame; the whole in such combination as is known in said conventional thread-feeding attachments.

The novel thread-feeding attachment disclosed in our present invention, now is formed as follows:

A panlike housing part 33 (Fig. 2) and a mainly hollow cylindrical housing part 34 are rigidly interconnected by screws 35. A lateral extension 34a of housing part 34 is provided with a bore into which is inserted the upper end-portion of a pump shaft 36 and retained by means of a disc 37 and a screw 38. On the remaining portion of shaft 36 is rotatably mounted the hub 39a of the rotor 39 of a ump which will be described later. Said hub also rotates in a bore of housing part 33, thus affording an additional indirect connection of the two housing parts 33 and 34. A second disc 37 is secured to the lower end of the stationary pump shaft 36. Sheetiron parts 43 to 45 of a cowling are secured to the housing parts 33, 34 by means of screws 41. The cowling together with the housing 33, 34 is secured to the supporting-frame 1 and column 24 respectively, by means of a bracket 42 and an arm 4t) (Figs. 1 and 7).

The longitudinal bore 46 (Fig. 3) of housing part 34 is closed by a cover 47 at the lower end, and by a cover 48 at the upper end. Cover 48 at the same time forms a guide for the rod 49 of a piston 50 which is tightly set into the bore 46 and is movable in the longitudinal direc tion thereof. By means of a stiff steel-wire 51 (of which the bent U-shaped end 51a (Fig. 4) surrounds a cylindrical rod 52, the lower end of which is rigidly screwed to a flange of cover 48), a sleeve 53 is secured to piston rod 49, said wire also preventing the piston rod and the sleeve On sleeve 53 is mounted the hub of a rotary arm 54. Said hub through its lower end face is supported on an annular shoulder of sleeve 53. A comically-wound helical spring 55 abuts at its upper end against a ring 56 which is fixed to the upper end of piston rod 49, and at its lower end abuts against the upper one of two plate-like brake discs 57. The latter also are centered on the piston rod, and the lower disc is supported on a stop 58 fixed to sleeve 53. A feed roller 61 is rotatably mounted on a pin 59 which, by means of a nut 60, is secured to rotary arm 54. The tubular portion 63 of a press stirrup, which further comprises two arms 64 and a rod 65, is freely rotatable on a bearing rod 62 which is parallel to piston rod 49. The lower portion of rod 62 is formed as screw having a hexagonal head, passes through a hole in the flange of cover 48, and is screwed into housing part 34. A tension spring 66 (Fig. 4) is attached to the lower arm 64 and pushes rod 65 onto rotary arm 54 and, thus, the feeding roller 61 on to disc 28. The thread arriving from guide roller 21 (Fig. 1) runs between the two brake discs 57, passes through a first thread guide secured to rotary arm 54, thence runs between roller 61 and disc 28 to a second thread guide 67 and then to the thread introducer 23 (Fig. 1).

The speed at which the elastic thread is fed to introducer 23 is equal to the product of the angular speed of disc 28 and the distance of the point of contact between disc 28 and feed roller 61 from the axis of rotation of disc 28. Such speed, therefore, may be varied by varying said distance. The attachment parts now to be described, serve for such purpose.

In the form of invention shown it is possible, in the course of manufacturing a tubular knitted article, to move feed roller 61 at preselectable times into one after another of six different positions with respect to the axis of rotation of disc 28. Not only the positions determining said distance, but also the speed at which the feed roller travels from one of these positions to the next, can be freely of the mounting described of rotary arm 54 and of the rigid connection between bearing sleeve 53 and piston rod 49.

A traverse 68 (Fig. 2) is clamped to the upper end of rod 52 by means of a screw 69. To traverse 68 is secured the upper end of an axle 70 which is parallel to piston rod 49. A prismatic drum 71 is rotatably but axially immovably mounted on axle 70. Each of the six drum faces is provided with a longitudinal groove 72 in which is movable a slider 73 (Fig. 5) which is clampable by means of a screw 74 and a part engaging said groove from the rear. Slider 73 comprises a lug 73a (Fig. 2) against which abuts stop 58 from above or below under the assumption that the respective slider 73 faces said stop or piston rod 49 respectively. A scale 76 is attached to the various drum faces along the longitudinal groove 72, to which is directed a pointer or lug 73a. The scale indicates the radius of disc 28 on which feed roller 61 moves when stop 58 abuts against lug 73a of the respective slider, or also indicates at once the product of this radius times the angular speed of the disc 1, i. e. the thread-feeding speed.

Piston is hydraulically moved at adjustable speed by means of a pump of variable output. Said pump comprises the rotor 39 which by a chain drive 77 to 79 (Figs. 1 and 2) is driven at uniform speed from vertical shaft 31. Said rotor comprises two or several radial bores 80. Pump pistons 81 disposed in said bores 80 comprise each a cross-pin 82 which can move to and fro in a groove 39b of rotor 39 of which the ends are engaged in ring discs 83 for the purposee of kinematically coupling the various pump pistons 81. The ring discs 83 move on the flat annular faces 390 of rotor 39 and of

cover discs

84 and 85 respectively, which are secured to rotor 39 by means of screws 86, 87 as is also a further cover disc 88. The pump pistons bear on the interior race ring 89 of a needle bearing which rotates with rotor 39, the needles or rollers of said bearing being designated by 90 and its exterior race ring by 91. The latter is mounted in the annular portion 92:: of a bar 92 which is guided in bores of the housing part 33 and serves for adjusting the eccentricity of the rings 89, 91 and of the pistons 81 for the purpose of varying the delivery volume, which is zero when the race rings are set concentrically with respect to axle 36.

Axle 36 at the elevation of the bores has a front recess 93 and a rear recess 94 (Fig. 6). Recess 93, through a longitudinal duct 95, communicates with a similar upper front recess 93 and, through ducts 96 to 98 in housing portion 34, 34a, with the lower end of cylinder bore 46 and with a front suction valve 99 and a front relief valve 100. Said two valves open into an oil reservoir 101 which is disposed in the panlike cowling part. The lower rearward recess 94 in similar manner communicates through a duct 102 with an upper rearward recess 94 of axle 36 and, further, through

ducts

103, 104 in housing portion 34, 34:: with the upper end of cylinder bore 46 and also through a duct 105 provided rearwardly of duct 97, to a second suction valve 99 and a second relief valve 100. These two valves built into cover 47 also open into oil reservoir 101. When, for a certain operating position, the eccentricity of the rings 89, 91 with respect to axle 36 is directed to the left, as shown in Fig. 2, and pump rotor 39 rotates clockwise (Fig. 4), each of the pistons 81 on passing through the front half-portion of its orbit sucks up oil through the front recess 93. At the same time, the diametrically opposite piston 81 on passing through the rear half-portion of its orbit forces oil through the rear recess 94. As along as piston 50 can move freely, because stop 58 has not abutted yet against one of the slides 73, oil is sucked up through the ducts 98 from that portion of bore 46 which is situated below piston 50 and is forced through the

ducts

102 and 104 into that portion of the same bore 46 which is situated above piston 50. Thus the piston is forced to move downwardly together with rotary arm 54 and feeding roller 61, so that the thread feeding speed is reduced until stop 58 abuts against one of the sliders 73. The oil then is sucked up through the forward suction valve 99 and forced out through the rearward relief valve and duct 105. The output per second and the corresponding speed of piston 50 depend on the size of eccentricity of the rings 89, 91. When rod 92 is moved to the right (Fig. 2), said eccentricity is reduced to zero and, upon further displacement is increased again. The pump pistons then force the oil through the front recess 93 and the ducts 95 to 98 into the space below piston 50. However, when the latter is stopped by one of the sliders 73, the oil is forced out through the front relief valve 100. Oil then is sucked from the space above piston 50 or, respectively, through the rear suction valve 99 and the ducts 102 to 105. Piston 50 thus is moved upwardly for the purpose of raising the thread-feeding, speed, and then comes to a standstill since stop 58 abuts against one of the sliders. When piston 50 is moved downwardly or upwardly, stop 58 for the time being is pressed against the slider facing it, owing to the pressure of the oil escaping from one of the relief valves, 100, i. e. the piston is positively stopped and secured against any unintentional return movement.

The actual position of rod 92 and, therefore, the magnitude and direction of the pump eccentricity is determined, in each and any of the six positions of rest of drum 71, by the position or adjustment of one of the six stop screws 107 which may be turned in threaded bores in the lower end-face of the drum and, after having been set, blocked by means of a counter-nut 108.

A bearing support 111 provided with a lever axle 112 is secured to the flange of the upper cover 48 by means of the lower portion of rod 52 which is formed as screw, and by means of the appurtenant nut 109 (Fig. 3) and a screw 110. On said axle 112 is mounted rotatably but axially immovably a bell crank 113 of which one arm is pivoted to a member 114 attached to rod 92, whilst the other arm is indirectly pressed against the head of the superjacent stop screw 107 by a compression spring 115 bearing against cowling 45 and engaging the opposite end of rod 92, for the purpose of scanning the position of adjustment of screw 107 and to transmit such position on to the rings 89, 91 and the pump pistons 81.

Drum 71 is held in its position of rest by a spring-loaded retaining pawl 116 which is mounted on the screw 110 which is formed as pivot pin. Pawl 116 coacts with one of a plurality of indexing pins 118 which are secured to an upwardly facing shoulder face of drum 71. Under certain conditions which are explained later, a pawl 119 coacts with said pins 118, said pawl being pivoted to an upwardly extending arm 120 of a bell crank 120 to 122 mounted on the axle 112. The downwardly extending arm 122 of said bell crank is pivoted to an eccentric connecting rod 123 of which the annular portion 123a surrounds the eccentrically turned-oil. portion 85a of ring 85 which is continuously rotating with pump rotor 39. Pawl 119 thus performs continuously reciprocating indexing movements whereby, however, the trip nose of the pawl only engages one of said pins 118 and moves the drum by one step when the above-mentioned conditions arise,

i. e. when one of the actuating pegs 124 (Fig. l) secured to certain links of control chain 14 engages an inclined face on the lower end of a lever 125 which is mounted on the machine subframe 1 and of which the upper end through a link 126 is connected to pawl 119. During the course of a complete operating cycle of the machine, which mostly is synonymous with manufacture of a knitted article, the control chain 13 revolves once, as known. In a timed sequence which solely is defined by the arrangement of the six pegs 124 on chain 14, drum 71 is indexed six times by one sixth of a revolution. In each position of rest, the stop screw 107 situated nearest to piston rod 49 in cooperation with feeler pin 113 defines the magnitude and sense of the thread-feed acceleration by varying the pump eccentricity, Whilst slider 73 which is situated above the respective stop screw and is pre-adjusted, defines the final value up to which the thread feeding speed increases or decreases. The thread feeding speed then remains constant until the next-following peg 124 through engagement of the lever 125 has caused a further indexing movement of drum 71.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a thread-feeding attachment, in particular for knitting machines, the combination, with a disc rotating at uniform speed and operatively associated with pre-adjust able path limiting stops and including a feed roller pushing the thread to be fed against said disc, of a mechanism for moving said roller at pre-definable speed in a meridian plane of the disc with respect to the axis of rotation of the latter successively between positions determined by said stops.

2. A thread-feeding attachment as set out in claim 1, in which said mechanism comprises a member, the feed roller being rotatably mounted on said member, a hydraulically operating piston for moving said member together with said roller and a pump for pumping an operating liquid to one or the other side of said piston, the

6 pump output being variable for the purpose of varying the piston speed.

3. A thread-feeding attachment as set out in claim 2, in which the pump is a rotary pump comprising pistons moving on a circle of which the eccentricity is variable from zero in both senses for the purpose of varying the speed and the direction of movement of said operating piston.

4. A thread-feeding attachment as set out in claim 3, an operating cylinder having a bore in which said operating piston is disposed, said bore being closed at both ends, an oil reservoir into which the lower end portion of said cylinder is plunged at least partly, and in said end portion are disposed two suction valves and two relief valves and open into said reservoir, one each of said valves communicating with the lower or respectively upper end of said bore so that when one of the path-limiting stops is effective the pressure of the liquid supplied to the operating cylinder by the continuously operating rotary piston pump, which pressure is required for overcoming the resistance of the relief valve which then is operating, prevents said member which coacts with said stop from detaching itself from the latter.

5. A thread-feeding attachment as set out in claim 4,

' in which the operating piston comprises a rod on which the supply roller carrying member is rotatably but axially immovably mounted, and a spring-loaded stirrup through its part parallel to the piston rod acts continuously on said member in order to push the supply roller against the disc.

6. A thread-feeding attachment as set out in claim 4, in a drum parallel to the direction of movement of the thread-supply roller upon which the path-limiting stops are adjustable.

7. A thread-feeding attachment as set out in claim 6, in which the drum is provided with adjustable stops, a spring-loaded feeler coacting with said adjusted stops and having a rod to determine the eccentricity of the circle on which move the pistons of the rotary piston pump, and thus also determines the speed and direction of movement of the supply roller with respect to the disc axis.

8. A thread-feeding attachment as set out in claim 7, in which the rotary piston pump comprises a rotor with an eccentric, a drum pawl, a linkage connected between said eccentric and said pawl for continuously reciprocating said pawl in the drum indexing direction, the drum in the operating range of said pawl being provided with indexing pins corresponding in number to the number of path-limiting stops and of stops defining the pump eccentricity, a cam, said pawl having a linkage engageable with one of said pins for the purpose of indexing the drum by one step when said last linkage is actuated by said cam.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,725,150 Lindley Aug. 20, 1929 2,667,266 Manger Jan. 26, 1954