US3440837A - Knitting machine drive apparatus - Google Patents

Description

A ril 29, 1969 L. MISH CON ETAL 3,440,837

\ KNITTING MACHINE DRIVE APPARATUS Filed July 5, 1967 Sheet of 2 Fig. I

INVENTOR. Lester Mlshcon and Donald W. Reagan A ril 29, 1969 L. MISHCON ETAL 3,

KNITTING MACHINE DRIVE APPARATUS Filed July 1967 Sheet 2 Of 2 INVENTOR. Lester Mishcon and Donald W. Reagan ATTORNEY United States Patent O US. Cl. 66-28 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Apparatus for driving the dial of a cylinder and dial circular knitting machine is disclosed as employing an idler wheel on the machine cylinder and a driven wheel on the machine dial, and between which wheels knitted fabric web is adapted to pass. Such a technique assures good cylinder and dial registration; and to assure against fabric marking by the wheels, loading thereon is disclosed as being relieved by auxiliary dial drive apparatus that contributes virtually all the torque necessary to drive the dial.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention The invention relates todrive mechanisms for cylinder and dial circular knitting machines, and in particular the invention is directed to the manner of transferring torque applied to, say, the machine cylinder to the machine dial, whereby such cylinder and dial will be rotatable simultaneously and in unison.

Description of the prior art Known drive arrangements between the cylinder and dial of a circular knitting machine may be categorized into two types: those arranged entirely outside the tubular fabric web, and those that lie between the cylinder and the dial, whereby torques are transmitted through the fabric web. An outside dial drive involves the problem of maintaining predetermined registration between the cylinder and dial stemming from the multiplicity of connections necessary to such a drive, which multiple connections present accumulated tolerances that are inherently subject to change, for instance, as the parts wear. Dial drives that lie directly between the cylinder and the dial, and comprise interengaging lugs or wheels between which fabric web is adapted to pass, involve the possibility of marking such fabric web by means of the lugs or wheels. Since knitting machines are progressively becoming large in diameter, and are being provided with more complex needle actuating and needle selecting mechanism, driving forces therefor of increasing magnitude are being required. Dial drives directly between the cylinder and the dial which were satisfactory with prior art knitting machines are generally not able to function without serious fabric marking problems in modern knitting machines.

United States Patent No. 3,222,889, filed in the name of Lester Mischcon and assigned to the present assignee, is directed to a dial drive of this latter type, and indicates a technique for preventing fabric marking even though torques are transmitted from the cylinder of a machine to its dial by way of the cloth web formed therebetween. That is, by employing interengaging wheels, one on the dial and one on the cylinder, between which wheels the fabric web is adapted to pass, and through which fabric web driving torques may be applied, the marking of the fabric web by the wheels may be eliminated by positively driving such wheels, say, by means of the takeup drive of the machine. By so driving the wheels, the fabric web is not pulled between the wheels-causing fabric markingbut rather is positively fed between the wheels; and this oc- 3,440,837 Patented Apr. 29, 1969 curs during the time that such wheels transmit the torques necessary to drive the dial.

The apparatus of United States Patent No. 3,222,889 has worked well for most fabrics. Still, however, some fabric marking occurs when knitting, for example, with yarns such as acetates. Such fabric marking results, not from the actual feeding of the fabric between the torque transmitting wheels, but rather from the crushing pressure of the wheels against the fabric being so fed.

Summary of the invention Apparatus according to the invention is a hybrid of the abovementioned two types of dial drives, utilizing to advantage the desirable properties of both types of dial drives, but avoiding their respective disadvantages. The torque necessary to drive the dial, when practicing the herein disclosed invention, is proportionately shared between a drive outside the tubular web being knit, and drive wheels between which the knitted web is adapted to pass. The greater contribution of torque is provided by the outside drive, thereby relieving the pressure on the fabric processed between the wheels; and light torque producing contact between the web and wheels, is maintained to assure predetermined cylinder and dial registration recognized as necessary to proper operation of the knitting machine in question.

A principal object of the invention is to provide improved drive apparatus for use in a cylinder and dial circular knitting machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide drive apparatus for a cylinder and dial circular knitting machine that not only intrinsically assures against cylinder and dial misregistration but works to preclude fabric marking as caused by such drive apparatus.

Another object of the invention is to provide drive apparatus for a cylinder and dial circular knitting machine that hybridly combines an outside-type dial drive with one that transmits dial drive torques through a knitted web.

The invention will be described with reference to the figures wherein FIG. 1 is an elevational view, partly in section and cutaway, indicating one species of the dial drive incorporating the invention,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a preferred wheel drive, and which wheel drive forms part of the apparatus of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a plan view of preferred dial drive apparatus for use in practicing the invention,

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the dial drive of FIG. 3, taken along line 33 thereof, and

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view indicating the dial drive apparatus of FIGS. 3 and 4, and generally showing its installation on a circular knitting machine.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the leg 10 of a circular knitting machine includes a journal bearing 12 that supports a drive shaft 14 for rotation. The leg 10 supports an annular frame 16 which, in turn, supports a bed plate 18. The drive shaft 14 is provided with a bevel gear 20 that meshes with a ring gear 22 forming part of a cylinder ring 24, such cylinder ring being rotatably seated atop the bed plate 18. Rotation of the drive shaft 14 totates the cylinder ring 24, and with it the needle cylinder 26 of the machine, which needle cylinder 26 is secured to the cylinder ring 24 by means not shown.

The cylinder ring 24 is provided with an annular recess 28 for accommodating a cam ring 30. The cam ring 30 is held in place in the usual way by means not shown, the cylinder ring 24 being rotatable relative thereto; and supported atop, and secured to, the cam ring 30 are cam sections 32. The carn sections 32 are provided with cams 34 that engage the butts of the cylinder needles 36 mounted within the slots of the cylinder 26; and rotating the 3 needle cylinder 26 by means of the drive shaft 14 has the effect of raising and lowering the cylinder needles 36 as they encounter the cams 34 with which they are relatively rotatable.

The drive shaft 14 is provided with a second bevel gear 38 secured thereto, and engaging with the gear 38 is a gear 40. The gear 40 secures to a shaft 42 which is rotatably supported in a sleeve bearing 44 that mounts atop a brace 46 that is held stationary with respect to the needle cylinder 26. The shaft 42 is provided with a second bevel gear 48 that drives a bevel gear 50 supported on a shaft 49 in a sleeve bearing 52; the bearing 52 is supported by the sleeve bearing 44. Rotation of the drive shaft 14 effects, via the gear combinations 38, 40 and 48, 50, rotation of a worm gear 54 which turns a pulley 56 fastened to a short shaft 58. The shaft 58 is supported in a bearing forming part of a brace 60; and the shaft 58 is secured to a worm wheel 62. The brace 60 is one of several, each being supported on a post 64; and the braces together secure to and mount a dial cam ring 66. The dial cam ring 66 is provided with a cylindrical opening 68 that serves as a journal bearing for a dial drive shaft 70. The dial drive shaft 70 is provided at one end with a pulley 72 which is driven by means of a spring 74 interconnecting the pulleys 56 and 72; and secured to the shaft 70 at its other end is the dial 76 of the machine. The dial 76 mounts a bed 78 of dial needles 80, which needles are positionable by means of cams 82 on dial cam sections 84 secured by means, not shown, to the dial ring 66.

An idler wheel 90 (see in particular FIG. 2) mounts for rotation on a stub shaft 92 to the cylinder ring 24, and engages a driven knurled wheel 94. The wheels 90, 94 provide fractional torques from the cylinder 26 to the dial 76, and are adapted to have cloth 96 pass therebetween. The knurled wheel 94 secures to a shaft 98 which is supported in a mandrel 100 in sprags; similarly the shaft 98 mounts a crank 102 which couples to the shaft 98 by means of a sprag 105. The crank 102 is spring biased upwardly by means of a spring 104, and the crank is provided with a rod-like cam follower 106 housed within a sleeve 108. The entire crank assembly secures to the dial 76 and rotates with the dial in unison with rotation of the cylinder 26. The sprags that support the shaft 98, and the sprag 105, are adapted to provide unidirectional rotation of the cloth feed wheel 94, and so too of the idler wheel 90. Periodic depression of the follower-rod 106, by means of a cam 110 secured to the underside of the dial cam ring 66, as the dial 76 rotates with respect to the dial cam ring 66 effects periodic rotation of the wheels 90, 94, and thereby incremental feeding of the cloth 96. Such a technique has proved as effective as the continuous wheel drive of United States Patent No. 3,222,889, but is obviously less extensive and simpler in construction.

As abovestated, the torque necessary to drive the dial 76 derives from two sources, viz. the outside coupling including the parts 42, 50, 49, 54, 62, 74, 70; and the coupling including the parts 92, 90, 94. The outside coupling provides almost all the torque necessary to drive the dial 76 and, were the wheels 90, 92 to be removed from the machine of FIG. 1, the spring 74 would continually slip on its pulleys 56, 72 (whereby the dial would misregister with respect to the cylinder 26) as the outside coupling endeavored to drive the dial 76 in unison with the cylinder 26. With the incrementally driven wheels 90, 94 interconnecting the cylinder and dial via the cloth web 96, however, misregistration of the cylinder and dial is prevented by the wheels 90, 94, which coact to contribute that fractional amount of torque necessary to prevent the spring 74 from slipping on its pulleys. Thus, not only are the wheels 90, 94 driven to prevent fabric marking, while maintaining proper registration of the cylinder 26 and the dial 76, but so too the crushing effect of the wheels 90, 94 against the cloth 96 is alleviated by means of the outside coupling which takes the loading off the wheels 90, 94.

While the apparatus of FIGS. 1 and 2 is sufiicient for the purposes of the invention, a preferred species thereof is depicted in FIGS. 3-5, which preference is based not only on the compactness of such species, but also because wear of certain parts of the species of FIGS. 1 and 2, especially the spring 74, is eliminated.

With reference then to FIGS. 3-5, the preferred species may be substituted for the spring-pulley combination of FIGS. 1, 2 as follows: the pair of gears 48, 50 are replaced by a sprocket and chain 124 assembly; and the chain 124 couples to a spring-biased hub 126 secured to the dial drive shaft 70 instead of the pulley 72. The hub 126 comprises an inner member 128 and an outer member 130 coaxial therewith. The outer member 130 is directly driven by the chain 124; and the inner member directly secures to the dial drive shaft 70. Interconnecting the inner member 128 with the outer member of the hub 126 are levers 132, each of which pivotally secures to the inner member 128 in a slot 134 by means of a screw 136, and projects from its slot 134 into a radial notch 138 in the outer member 130. Each lever 132 may be biased, against a respective wear plate 140 secured within a respective notch 138, by means of a spring 142 the bias of which may be adjusted by an adjustment screw 144.

In practicing the invention with the species of FIGS. 3-5, the hub 126 is placed on the dial drive shaft 70 of the machine with the tension of the springs 142 initially set as low as possible. The chain 124 is then set in place to hold the outer hub member 130 against turning; and thereafter the tension of the springs 142 is gradually increased. At the point at which the springs 142, acting through the levers 132 against the wear plates 140 of the firmly held outer member 130, are just sufiiciently compressed to start to turn the inner hub member 128- and the dial 76-adjustment of the spring bias is stopped. Now, rotation of the outer hub member 130 by means of the chain 124 in the direction of the arrow on FIG. 3, causes the wear plate 140 to push against the levers 132 which in turn push against the springs 142 which cannot compress further (because of the registration assuring wheels 90, 94). The inner hub part 128 rotates the shaft 70, and the dial 76 therewith, with the torque necessary for such rotation being contributed mostly by the chain 124-hub 126 drive, and the remaining slight (but registration assuring) torque being contributed by the drive wheels 90, 94.

Whether with the species of FIGS. 1 and 2, or with the species of FIGS. 3-5, marking of the fabric by virtue of such fabric being pulled between coacting respective parts on the cylinder and dial is prevented by use of driven wheels between which such fabric is adapted to pass; and 1n their presently preferred simply constructed form, such wheel drive is periodically and incrementally effected: Fabric marking by virtue of excessive pressure being applied against the fabric by the Wheels is eliminated by relieving the loading on the wheels through use of an auxiliary outside dial drive that contributes the greater part of the dial drive torque, leaving however the wheels to contribute just sufiicient torque to assure the desired cylinder and dial registration.

While the invention has been described in its preferred form it is to be understood that the words which have been used are words of description rather than of limitation and that changes within the purview of the appended claims may be made without departing from the true scope and spirit of the invention.

Having thus set forth the nature of this is claimed herein is:

1. In a circular knitting machine of the type having a cylinder needle bed 26 and a dial needle bed 76, which needle beds are adapted to form cloth therebetween by interaction of their respective needles, and means 20 for rotatably driving one of said beds, improved apparatus invention, what for transferring the rotary motion of said one bed to the other of said beds comprising:

(a) first means 90 on said one bed,

(b) second means 94 on said other bed in advance of said first means in the direction of rotation of said beds, said second means being adapted to be cooperative with said first means through said cloth formed between said beds, and

(c) third means 42, 49, 58, 74, 70 drivingly coupling said r'neans 20 for rotatably driving one of said needle beds to said other needle bed,

whereby the torque for rotatably driving said other bed is proportionately applied by said first and second means in combination, and by said third means.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said third means is provided with means 74 or 142 for yieldingly coupling said means 20 for rotatably driving one of said needle beds to said other needle bed.

3. Theapparatus of claim 2 wherein either said first or said second means is a Wheel, and wherein said apparatus includes means for driving said wheel in accordance with the rotation of said needle beds.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said means for yieldingly coupling said drive and bed comprises first 128 and second 130 coaxial partsjat least one lever 132 pivotally supported on one of said parts and adapted to engage a piece 140 on the other of said parts 130, and resilient means 142 for pressing said lever 132 against said piece 140 of said other part, one of said coaxial parts being coupled to said other bed, and the other of said parts being adapted for rotation by the drive for said one needle bed.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein either said first or said second means is a wheel, and wherein said apparatus includes means for driving said wheel in accordance with the rotation of said needle beds.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein either said first or said second means is a wheel, and wherein said apparatus includes means for incrementally driving said wheel in accordance with the rotation of said needle beds.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said means for incrementally driving said wheel includes actuable means 106 rotatable with one of said needle beds and means discretely fixedly positioned relative to said needle beds and cooperable with said actuable means, said actuable means 106 being coupled to said wheel to rotate said wheel each time said means discretely positioned cooperates with said actuable means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS l/l898 Sturgess 6628 XR 12/1965 Mishcon 6628 U.S. Cl. X.R. 66-19

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