US2755645A - Selecting mechanism of circular knitting machines - Google Patents

Description

July 24, 1956 F. E. DEANS ET AL 2,755,645

SELECTING MECHANISM OF CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 1, 1951 mm v N Am R m: mm o V w w \m 2 um m 9 W mam 3 Q mm Mm Fm Wm I 3/, FFI k. 1 F- u I y 4, 1956 F. E. DEANS ET AL 2,755,645

SELECTING MECHANISM OF CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Oct. 1, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventors: D DEA AND FREDERICK 50mm CARLYLE H RBERT uAmwRIG-H July 24, 1956 F. E. DEANS ETAL 2,755,645

SELECTING MECHANISM OF CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES ana Inventor-S: FREOERICK sow Q9 1 EANJ AND CARLYLE HERBERT wnmuk 'enf United States Patent i SELECTING MECHANISM OF CIRCULAR KNITTHQG MACHINES Frederick Edward Deans and Carlyle Herbert Wainwright, Leicester, England, assignors to The Bentley Engineering Company Limited, Leicester, England Application October 1, 1951, Serial No. 249,032

Claims priority, application Great Britain October 9, 1950 Claims. CI. 66-14) This invention concerns the selecting mechanism of circular knitting machines, primarily circular knitting machines of the opposed needle cylinder type.

An object of the present invention is an improved selecting mechanism for knitting machines, and a particular object is a selecting mechanism which on the one hand gives a wide range of selection without the use of a long cylinder or other bed and without it being necessary to cut unduly deep tricks, and which on the other hand permits of the use of a pin-drum for controlling the selection. A pin-drum is, for the purpose of this specification, defined as being a drum or cylinder the periphery of which is provided with circumferential rows of holes (at axially spaced levels) for the removable reception of interchangeable pins or screws in any desired pattern arrangement. Such a device has the advantage that the pattern arrangement can readily be changed merely by shifting the position (and if necessary altering the number) of the pins.

This invention provides a circular knitting machine, having a tricked instrument bed, instruments mounted in the tricks for sliding movements and rocking movements therein and having at contrasting selecting levels, selecting butts disposed in the required pattern arrangement, an operating cam for moving along its trick any instrument that it acts on, a depressing cam positioned to engage the instruments and to rock them in their tricks into or out of range of the operating cam, and selecting cams, at the said levels, each movable into and out of operative position in which it acts on such selecting butts as may reach it at that level and thereby slides the associated instrument along its trick to bring it into or out of range of the depressing cam. Preferably, but not necessarily the instrument is thus moved out of range of the depressing cam.

It will be seen that the selecting cams only produce part of the sliding movement of the instruments, this part being that which is required to bring the instruments into or out of range of the depressing cam. Hence, the length of each selecting cam, and the spacing between the various selecting levels, need only be comparatively small; this in turn permits of the use of short instruments and of a comparatively short bed while at the same time permitting a substantial number of selecting cams and a consequental wide range of selection to be provided. Moreover, this range can be achieved without havingthe spacing between the selecting levels so small as to preclude the use of a pin drum for shifting the selecting cams, it being appreciated that in a pin drum a certain minimum thickness of metal must be left beween pin holes of adjacent circumferential rows.

It will further be appreciated that since the rocking force is applied to the instruments from the depressing cam, it can be applied to each of them at the same pointin their length, and this point can be widely spaced from the fulcrum about which they rock; this renders it unnecessary for the tricks to be of inconvenient depth. A

2 ,755,645 Patented July 24, 1956 further advantage of the present construction is than-since the rocking movements are not applied through the select= ing butts, the latter can be disposed on both sides of the fulcrum, thereby permitting full use to be made of the length of the instruments to accommodate rows of selecting butts.

Preferably, the depressing cam operates on the same parts (e. g. operating butts) of the instruments as does the operating cam.

In order to provide for a still greater sliding movement than that which is derived from the operating cam and the selecting cams, each instrument may be provided in its trick with a secondary instrument or bit movable by that instrument, when moved by the operating cam, into range of an actuating cam which then imparts additional movement to the bit.

It is further preferred to provide axially spaced complimentary guards extending around the cylinder, one at each side of the fulcrum, for the positively controlling the angular attitude of each instrument in its trick through out the entire range of rocking movements.

The foregoing and other features of the invention set out in the appended claims are incorporated in the mechanism that will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a developed view of the interior of the top cam box, looking on the inside of the cams which control the various instruments in the top needle cylinder; this figure includes at the right hand side a double-ended needle, a typical slider, a slidable bit, and a pattern jack;

Figure 2 is an elevation of the pin drum and associated parts;

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the mechanism shown in Fig. 2, also showing its attachment to a pillar of the machine frame;

Figure 4 is a plan view taken on the line AA in Fig. 3; V

Figure 5 is a plan view looking on the top of the mechanism shown in Figs. 2 and 3;

Figure 6 is a plan view of one of the cams shown in Fig. 1;

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 7 7 in Fig. 1.

In this example the invention is to be applied to a super-imposed needle cylinder machine, such as is sold under the registered trademark Komet, for the purpose of controlling the movements of the sliders in the upper needle cylinder in the production of links-links fabric; Machines of this type are well known; they have superimposed coaxial tricked needle cylinders represented diagrammatically at 10 in Figs. 4 and 5 and each cylinder is equipped with sliders (whereof a representative slider of the topcylinder is indicated at 1 in Fig. 1) by which double-ended needles 75, Fig. 1, are operated. In view of the known character and operation of such machines, further description or illustration is unnecessary.

In the exercise of the present invention above each sliderinthe top cylinder and in the same trick there is a slidable bit 2 having a butt -3 which throughout the major part of the circle of movement travels in a high inactive track 4 such that the bottom end of the bit is above the highest position to which thesliders are.

series of selecting levels is provided with a selecting butt.

8. These selecting levels are all of course below the operating butt 7 and some of them are below and someabove the fulcrum point 6.

-At a Selecting station which is shown approximately as. the region .X in Fig. 1 thereis provided a battery of selecting cams, one at each level, these cams are shown as 9 in Fig. 2. Each cam 9 is capable of being moved intowards the cylinder as shown in Figs. 4 and Swhen in towards the cylinder as shown the cam is inthe operative position'and will engage any selecting butts 8 reaching it at that level. The operating butts 7 of the jacks 5 travel throughout the major part of their circle of movement in an upper inactive track 11, Fig. 1. Immediately before reaching the selecting station X the operating butts 7 are lowered by the levelling cam 12, from the inactive track 11 to the depressing track 13. If a jack 5 continues in this depressing track its operating butt 7 is engaged by the depressing cam 14 (a plan view of which is shown in Fig. 6) which forces or depresses the top end of the jack into its trick and so moves the operating butt 7 that it passes behind the lowering cam 15 (the operating cam aforesaid) which immediately follows the depressing cam 14.

On the other hand if any jack is lowered by a selecting cam 9 Figs. 1 and 2 its operating butt 7 is brought down to pass beneath the depressing cam to a ready track -16 which it travels along into engagement with the operating cam 15 so that this jack is lowered further.

The butts 3 of the bits 2 are also brought down from their inactive track 4, immediately before the selecting station X, by the bit-levelling cam 17 which brings them to the selecting track 18 in which they are so placed that they will not be further lowered by the jacks 6 at the selecting station X i. e. by the jacks when the latter are lowered by the selecting cams such as 9. However, when a jack 5 is lowered by the operating cam 15 it lowers its associated bit 2 from this selecting track 18 to track 19 in which it passes into engagement with the bit-actuating cam 20 which lowers that bit still further. Bits that are not so lowered continue in the selecting track 18 into an idle track 18a passing over the top of this actuating cam 20. It will be noticed that tracks 18 and 18a are intersected by the bolt cam 21 which in effect constitutes a movable part of the bitactuating cam and may be inserted as required to cause all the bits to be lowered to the ready level (to be engaged by the actuating cam 20). Bolt cam 21 (as also the other bolt cams herein referred to) is operated in conventional manner requiring no description or illustration. The additional movement of the bits 2 by the actuating cam 20 brings them into contact with the sliders (such as 1 in Fig. l) and then moves the latter downwards (e. g. into range of the transfer control bolt cam 22 and from there onto the transfer bolt cam 23). Shortly after reaching their lower-most position the lowered bits are raised, first to the level of the selecting track 18 by means of the cam 24 and then to the inactive track 4 by the return cam 25, thereby serving to lift the associated jacks 5 to their inactive track 11 also. Reverting back to the bolt cam 21 it can easily be seen that by providing the bits 2 with butts 3, Fig. 1, of different length, and by pushing the bolt cam in to differing extents, a selection may be achieved. Specifically, short and medium-length butts may alternate 1 x 1 throughout the major part of the circle, except over a short are wherein short and long butts alternate in order to permit of the insertion of the bolt cam. This permits every second needle to be transferred to the bottom cylinder at the end of an area of fabric having a rib-knitted pattern (e. g. a stocking top), so that the first course after the patterned area is knitted of 1 x 1 rib. In this connection it will be appreciated that the selecting mechanism provided by the present invention is particularly applicable to the production of rib-knitted patterns.

If reference is made to Fig. 1 it will be seen that if the pattern jack 5 is positioned in its cylinder trick with the butt! running in track 11 (as illustrated), the top end 26 is adjacent to the rib 27 (which is shown in side elevation in Fig. 7) of the cam ring, also the bottom end 28 of the jack 5 is positioned adjacent the rib 29. Now the two ribs 27 and 29-encircle the cylinder and form a guard which positively controls the angular attitude of each jack in its trick throughout the entire range of its rocking movement. The top guard rib 27 is throughout the major part of the circle rebated at its inner face as shown in Fig. 7 so as to provide a lip 27a which closely encircles the surface of the cylinder and therefore prevents the top ends 26 of the jacks 5 from swinging outwards and a rebate 27b in which the operating butts 7 of the jacks may move up and down. The levelling cam 12 is in effect a downward continuation of this lip. The depressing cam 14 Fig. 1 is a cam which at its lower part 31 has an incline of its inner face (shown in the plan view Fig. 6), in the depressing track 13, in the direction of rotation so as to engage the operating butts 7 in that track to force them inwards, and above said incline has a full thickness part 32 which is, in effect, a continuation of the lip 27a and engages the top ends 26 of those jacks which have been lowered by the selecting cams 9 into the ready track 16, and prevents these top ends from swinging outwards. The operating cam 15 (or lowering cam) is also of full thickness except at its reverse edge 36 where its inner face is formed with a reverse incline hereinafter described. Beyond the operating cam .15, the guard rib continues at full thickness (indicated by the earns 33 and 34) until, approximately at a stage where the bits are lifted to the idle track 11 by their return cams 24 and 25, it re-assumes the aforesaid lipped rebated formation. It does so in cam face 35 which serves to lower the jacks 5 to the depressing level 13 during reciprocation in the heel and toe (the selecting cams 9 then being out of operation) whereat their operating butts 7 are engaged and depressed by the reverse incline 36 on the operating cam 15.

It is now convenient to refer to the bottom guard rib 29. Throughout the major part of the circle this guard rib is a plain rib which closely encircles the surface of the cylinder and so prevents the bottom ends 28 of the jacks 5 from rocking outwards, without preventing their sliding movements. Immediately before the selecting station X this rib merges into the bit levelling cam 17. Immediately below the depressing cam 14 the bit levelling cam 17 is provided with an incline 37 which is complementary to (i. e. is sloped in the opposite direction to) that of the depressing cam incline 31, so as to permit the lower ends 28 of those jacks, which are depressed by the depressing cam 14, to swing outwards. Below this reverse incline 37, the bit levelling cam 17 has a lip 17a of full thickness which holds in the lower ends 28 of those jacks which have been lowered by a selecting cam 9 and thus have not been engaged and rocked by the depressing cam 14. Continuing from this reverse incline 37 above the top of the bolt cam 21 and half way along the top of the actuating cam 20, there is a guard cam 38 which is of L section, having a rebate 38a to accommodate the protruding lower ends 28 of those jacks which have been rocked by the depressing cam 14 and a bottom lip 39 which holds into their tricks the bottom ends 28 of those jacks which have been lowered by the lowering cam 15. At the region substantially above the apex of the bitactuating cam 20 and below incline 36 this rebate merges byan incline 40 into a full thickness guard cam.

During rotational knitting, this incline 40 serves to press the lower ends 28 of all jacks into their tricks and during the heel and toe it permits said lower ends to move out before the upper ends 26 of the jacks are pressed in by the reverse incline 36 on the operating cam 15.

It will be appreciated that the jacks have three stages of downwards movement, (a) from .the inoperative track 11 to the depressing track 13 by the levelling cam 12, (b) from the depressing track 13 to the ready track 16 by the selecting cams 9, (c) from the ready track 16,

by the operating cam 15. The bits likewise have three stages of movement (a) from the inactive track 4 to their selecting track 18, by the bif-levelling cam 17, (b) from their selecting track 18 to the ready track 19 by the jacks 5 being lowered by the operating cam and (c) to a fourth and lowest level 41, by the actuating cam 20. As a result the total movement imparted by the bits 2 to the sliders l is much greater than can be derived directly from the selecting cams 9. Moreover, since the sliding movement required to be imparted to a jack 5 to cause its operating butt 7 to miss its depressing cam 31 is very small the selecting butts 8 and the selecting cams 9 may be closely spaced which in turn permits of a great number of selecting levels and of a wide selecting scope without an undue length of cylinder. On the other hand the pitch between the selecting levels may well be sufliciently large to permit the use of a pin-drum for operating the selecting cams.

Each selecting cam conveniently consists of a strip of sheet metal such as 9 Figs. 2, 4 and 5, disposed radially of the cylinder 10 at station X but with its under face at the angle required to engage and lower the selecting butts 8. These strips 9 are guided as shown in the vertical post 42 of U section which is supported at the correct height and position by the flat plate 43 which is itself fixed to the pillar 4-4. The pillar 44 is therefore used not only as a spacer between the top casting 45 and the bottom plate 46 of the pin-drum assembly but also may be rotated to give the correct position for the guide post 42 and then locked in position.

As can be seen in Fig. 4 each of the selector cams (or blades 9) has two butts 47 and 48 between which the end of a selector lever such as 49 is inserted. These selecting levers 49 are fulcrummed intermediate their ends at 50 and have one end guided in the vertical comb 68 and at their other end 51 they are also guided in a comb 52 (Figs. 3 and 4) which is another spacing pillar for the top casting 45 and bottom plate 46. The levers 49 are of sheet metal and are quite flat It is usual to pivot such a battery of levers on a spindle which transfixes them all. In the present instance each transmitting lever 49 has a fulcrum notch at 50 in which is engaged the rounded vertical edge of a fulcrum plate 53. The levers 49 are each provided with a tension spring 54 extending between it and the abutment 55 on the plate 53, for holding its fulcrum notch against the fulcrum edge. These springs also serve to urge the ends of the levers towards the pin-drum 55.

If reference is made to Fig. 4 it will be seen that the fulcrum plate 53 is joined securely to the block 67 which is pivoted on the spindle 56; the block 67 carries a stop screw 69 which butts up to the pillar 70. It can now be seen that if the block 67 is turned on the spindle 56 in an anti-clockwise direction it will swing the fulcrum plate 53 which will itself move the levers 49 in towards the pin-drum 55. Now the ends 51 of the levers 49 which are guided in the slots in the pillar 52, will pivot on the back of the slots as the fulcrum plate 53 is moved and cause the other ends of the levers 49 to slide in the comb 6S and move the blades 9 away from the cylinder 10, thus putting the whole bank of selector blades 9 out of action. From the foregoing description it can easily be seen that to place the bank of blades 9 into action the block 67 must be turned on the spindle 56 in a clockwise direction. In Fig. 4 the block 67 is turned on its spindle 56 by means of the lever 57 and is there shown in the position where the end 65 of the lever is clear of the abutment 66 of the fulcrum plate 53 thus allowing the selector levers 49 to pivot on their ends 51 under the action of the springs 54 which has caused two things to happen, namely, the blades 9 have been projected in towards the cylinder 10, and the fulcrum plate 53, together with the block 67, has turned on the spindle 56 to the extent allowed by the stop-screw 69 butting up to the pillar 70. This stop-screw is set to allow the blades 9 to be projected until they are just clear of the cylinder 16-.

It may be desirable to devote the top part of the drum '55 to one pattern (e. g. for the turnover top of a stocking) and the lower part to another pattern (e. g. for the leg of a stocking) and to render either part of the drum inoperative while the other part is in use; For this purpose the fulcrum plate 53 may be made in upper and lower parts 53a, 53b (shown in Fig. '2 Where the plate 53 is split 'or divided along the line corresponding to the respective parts of the drum, either of which (together with the group of levers 49 pivoted on it) may be swung to the operative or inoperative position as above described. Both parts may be swung at the same time to render the Whole of the drum operative or inoperative.

The controls to both parts 53a, 53b of the fulcrum plate are shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the levers 57 and 58 con trolling the top and bottom plates respectively. These two levers are shown mounted freely on the shaft 59 and positioned at the correct height by the collars 60 and spring 61-, they are constantly urged in one direction by the springs 63, 64, and actuated when required by the cables 71, 72, the other ends of which are attached suitably to lifter rods operating directly from the main controldrum of the machine (or are otherwise operated in conventional manner). It is by operation of the levers 5'7, 58 by means of the cables 71, 72 thatthe selecting cams 9 as a whole are moved out of operation for the period during which reciprocatory knitting occurs for the purpose of heel and toe formation.

The pin-drum 55 may be of any known construction but is preferably constructed according to co-pending patent application No. 249,232 filed October 2, 1951 (to which reference isto be made for further particulars) and is capable of being racked in either direction. The transmitting levers 49 may also be arranged as described in that application. As far as the mechanism here described is concerned suffice it to say, that, when a pin such as 73, Fig. 4 is racked between the projection 74 of the lever 49 and the surface of the pin-drum it will cause the lever to fulcrum on the corner 50 of the plate 53, and thus the end located between the butts 47 and 48 of the selector blade 9 will retract the said blade to its inoperative position and so allow the butt 8 of the jack Fig. l to pass by.

We claim:

1. A circular knitting machine having a tricked instrument bed, instruments mounted in the tricks for sliding movements and rocking movements therein about an intermediate fulcrum and having at contrasting selecting levels on both sides of the fulcrum, selecting butts disposed in the required pattern arrangement, an operating cam for moving along its trick any instrument that it acts on, a depressing cam positioned to engage the instruments and to rock them in their tricks to control their engagement with the operating cam, and selecting cams, at the said levels, each movable into and out of operative position in which it acts on such selecting butts as may reach it at that level and thereby slides the associated instrument along its trick to control its engagement with the depressing cam.

2. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the said associated instrument is movable by the selecting carns out of range of the depressing cam.

3. A machine according to claim 1, incorporating a pind'rum for selecting the selecting cams.

4. A machine according to claim 1, having the instruments formed with a fulcrum substantially midway between their ends.

5. A machine according to claim 1, having the depressing cam arranged to operate on the same parts (e. g. the operating butts) of the instruments as does the operating cam.

6 A machine as claimed in claim 1 having axially spaced complementary guards extending round the cylinder, one at each side of the fulcrum, for positively controlling the angular attitude of each instrument in its trick throughout the. entire range of rocking movements.

7., A circular knitting machine having a tricked instrument bed, instruments mounted in the tricks for sliding movements and rocking movements therein about an intermediate fulcrum and having at contrasting selecting levels on .both sides of the fulcrum selecting butts disposed in the required pattern arrangement, an operating cam for moving along its trick any instrument that it acts on, a depressing cam positioned to engage the instruments and to rock them in their tricks to control their engagement with the operating cam, selecting cams at the said levels each movable into and out of operative position in which it acts on such selecting butts as may reach it at that level and thereby slides the associated instrument along its trick to control its engagement with the depressing cam, and the machine being arranged to knit by reciprocation as well as by rotation, and having an incline for depressing the instruments out of range of the operating cam in each reverse swing of reciprocatory knitting.

8. A machine as claimed in claim 7 having means for rendering the selecting cams inoperative during reciprocatory knitting.

9. A circular knitting machine having a tricked instrument bed, instruments mounted in the tricks for sliding movements and rocking movements therein about an intermediate fulcrum and having at contrasting selecting levels on both sides of the fulcrum selecting butts disposed in the required pattern arrangement, an operating cam for moving along its trick any instrument that it acts on, a depressing cam positioned to engage the instruments and to rock them in their tricks to control their engagement with the operating cam, selecting cams at thesaid levels each movable into and out of operative position in which it acts on such selecting butts as may reach it at that level and thereby slides the associated instrument along its trick to control its engagement with the depressing cam, and having each instrument provided in its trick with a secondary'instrument or bit movable by that instrument, when moved by the operating cam, into range of an actuating cam which then imparts additional movement to the bit.

10. A machine as claimed in claim 9 having a third instrument movable by each bit and actuating cams into range of which the third instrument is thereby brought,

11. A machine as claimed in claim 10 being of the opposed needle cylinder type, wherein the third instruments are needle-controlling sliders and the actuating cams therefore are transfer cams for transferring needles from cylinder to cylinder.

12. A circular knitting machine having a tricked instrument bed, instruments mounted in the tricks for sliding movements and rocking movements therein about an intermediate fulcrum and having at contrasting selecting levels on both sides of the fulcrum selecting butts disposed in the required pattern arrangement, an operating cam for moving along its trick any instrument that it acts on, a depressing cam positioned to engage the instruments and to rock them in their tricks to control their engagement with the operating cam, selecting cams, at the said levels, each movable into and out of operative position in which it acts on such selecting butts as may reach it at that level and thereby slides the associated instruments along its trick to control its engagement with the depressing cam, a secondary instrument or bit provided for each instrument in its trick and movable by that instrument, when moved by the operating cam, into range of an actuating cam which then imparts additional movement to the bit, and wherein the instruments and the bits have threestages of movement, the stages forthe instruments being from an inoperaive track to a de pressing track by means of a levelling cam in which depressing track the instruments are disposed to be acted on by the depressing cam, from the depressing track to a ready track by the selecting cams in which ready track the instruments are disposed to be'acted on by their operating cam, and from the ready track by the depressing cam, and the stages for the bits being from an inactive track to a selecting track by a bit-levelling cam, from the selecting track to a ready track by movement of the instruments by their operating cam, in which selecting track the bits are disposed to be acted on by the bit-actuating cam, and to a further level by the bit-actuating cam.

13. A machine as claimed in claim 12 wherein the selecting track for the bits is intersected by a movable part of the bit-actuating cam, said movable part being movable to an inoperative position.

14. A machine as claimed in claim l2 having return cam means acting on the bits after the bit-actuating cam to lift the bits to the inactive track and the instruments to their inoperative track.

15. A circular knitting machine having a tricked instrument bed, instruments mounted in the tricks for sliding movements and rocking movements therein about an intermediate fulcrum and having at contrasting selecting levels on both sides of the fulcrum selecting butts disposed in the required pattern arrangement, an operating cam for moving along its trick any instrument that it acts on, a depressing cam positioned to engage the instruments and to rock them in their tricks to control their engagement with the operating cam, selecting cams at the said levels each movable into and out of the operative position in which it acts on such selecting butts as may reach it at that level and thereby slides the associated instrument along its trick to control its engagement with the depressing cam, a secondary instrument or hit provided for each instrument in its trick and-movable by that instrument, when moved by the operating cam, into range of an actuating cam which then imparts additional movementto the bit, and wherein the instruments and the bits have three stages of movement, the stages for the instruments being from an inoperative track to a depressing track by means of a levelling cam in which depressing track the instruments are disposed to be acted on by the depressing cam, from the depressing track to a ready track by the selecting cams in which ready track the instruments are disposed to be acted on by their operating cam, and from the ready track by the depressing cam, and the stages for the bits being from an inactive track to a selecting track by a bit-levelling cam, from the the selecting track to a ready track by movement of the instruments by their operating cam, in which selecting track the bits are disposed to be acted on by the bitactuating cam, and to a further level by the bit-actuating cam, and wherein the selecting track for the bits is intersected by a movable part of the bit-actuating cam, said movable part being movable to an inoperative position, and having return 'cam means acting on the bits after the bit-actuating cam to lift the bits to the inactive track and the instruments to their inoperative track.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 892,162 France Ian, 3, 1944

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