US3492836A

US3492836A - Knitting machines

Info

Publication number: US3492836A
Application number: US481212A
Authority: US
Inventors: Raymond Blood; William Bentley
Original assignee: William Cotton Ltd
Current assignee: William Cotton Ltd
Priority date: 1964-08-21
Filing date: 1965-08-20
Publication date: 1970-02-03
Anticipated expiration: 1987-02-03
Also published as: DE1585513C2; GB1117784A; FR1455319A; DE1585513B1

Description

Feb. 3, 1970 BLOOD ETAL 3,492,836

' KNITTING MACHINES Filed Aug. 20, 1965' 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Mil/7M BEA 72E) .F b. 3, 19 10 R. BLOOD m1. 3,492,836

' KNITTING MACHINES Filed Aug. 20, 1965 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 mum/rues 60mm; 54 00 mam/u 561026) Feb. 3, 1970 R. BLOOD ETAL 3,492,836

KNITTING MACHINES Filed Aug. 20, 1965 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 SUPPLY Feb. 3, 1970 R. BLOOD ETA!- 3,492,836

KNITTING MACHINES FiledAug. 20, 1965 e Sheets- Sheet 5 KNITTING MACHINES Filed Aug. 20, 1965 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 FIG INVENTORS RAYMOND BLOOD, WILLIAM BENTLEY United States Patent 3,492,836 KNITTING MACHINES Raymond Blood, Shepshed, and William Bentley, Loughborough, England, assignors to William Cotton Limited Filed Aug. 20, 1965, Ser. No. 481,212

Claims priority, application Great Britain, Aug. 21, 1964,

Int. Cl. DtMb 27/08 U.S. Cl. 66-5 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A straight bar knitting machine having needles with a series of butts, and sliders between sinkers and controlled by droppers having a series of butts, each series of butts being under selective control of rows of selecting sliders, in a. channel frame bar, and which may have various length butts, through the medium of electric program controlled electro-magnets in the frame bar, and which may be staggered, for physical magnetic engagement with the selecting sliders, said electro-niagnets being carried by cam operated lever means for moving the electromagnets to carry the selecting sliders positively to and from the butts.

This invention is for improvements in or relating to knitting machines and concerns the selective control of instruments such as needles, transfer points, beard pressing sliders, and the like as referred to in our US. patent application, Ser. No. 448,115, Patent No. 3,370,443 and US. Patent No. 3,292,395.

One problem in the provision of selecting control mechanism is the shortage of space for accommodating the mechanism, and when providing electro-magnetic solenoids as disclosed in said patents there arises a further problem of providing for the control to be sufi'lciently positive, since reliance has to be placed on electro-magnetic fields to obtain the required movements.

An object of the invention is to solve these problems.

The invention provides in a knitting machine, a series of instruments such as needles, transfer points, beard presser elements or control droppers therefor, and the like, having butts, a series of selecting sliders adapted for controlling association with the butts, and a series of electro-magnets adapted for controlling the selecting sliders and which can be operated selectively from an electric programme device. Conveniently the selecting sliders are advanced to the instruments when secured magnetically to the selecting electro-magnets all of which are mechanically reciprocated, those selecting sliders not being magnetically attached to the non-selecting magnets remaining in idle position. Conveniently the selecting sliders have butts at the rear of the magets so that the advanced selecting sliders are returned mechanically by the mechanical return of the magnets. The butts of the selecting sliders are conveniently reinforced where they are contacted by the magnets, and the magnets are conveniently in a staggered arrangement to register with the selecting slider butts at different levels due to the shortage of space lengthwise of the series of selecting sliders. There may be two banks of the selecting sliders and associated magnets at different levels for controlling instruments at different heights for different patterning purposes.

The above and other features of the invention set out in the appended claims are incorporated in the construction which will now be described as a specific embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

ice

FIGURE 1 is a general sectional view of a Cottons patent straight bar knitting machine having magnetic control means according to the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a front view of two sections of the machine.

FIGURE 3 is a diagrammatic perspective view of part of the machine illustrating the magnetic control means.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged or perspective view of part of the magnetic control means.

FIGURE 5 is a further enlarged perspective view of part of the magnetic control means in one arrangement.

FIGURE 6 is a similar view to FIGURE 5 in another arrangement.

FIGURE 7 is an electric circuit diagram for the magnetic control means.

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged cross sectional view showing a modified form of magnetic control means.

FIGURE 9 is a diagrammatic detail of the arrangement of magnets in the modified magnetic control means.

FIGURE 10 is a further enlarged detail of a butt part of a control slider of the magnetic control means.

FIGURE 11 is an enlarged detailed view of the needle mounting operating and control means of FIGURE 1.

Referring to FIGURE 1 the machine is in the main substantially as disclosed in US. Patent No. 3,370,443 and US. Patent No. 3,292,395. Briefly it has a row of beaded frame needles indicated at 1 which are frictionally mounted in slots in the frame needle bar 2 and which have lower butts 1a. The needle bar 2 has usual knitting movements imparted to it by usual cam operated mechanism comprising an arm connection 3 to a cam follower lever 4 having a cam follower 5 engaging a cam 6 on the machines main cam shaft 7, and also comprising arm connection 8 to a hand lever 9 which is releasably connected by pin and slot connection 10 to a cam follower lever 11 having a cam follower 12 engaging a cam 13 on the shaft 7.

Usual sinkers are shown at 14 mounted in the usual sinker bar 15 which is secured to a frame bar 16 of the machine.

The machine in the example shown is also provided with a row of horizontal sliders 17 mounted in alongside the sinkers 14 in the sinker bar 15 substantially as and for the purpose disclosed in US. Patent No. 3,370,443 and US. Patent No. 3,292,395 of selectively controlling operation of the needles for patterning. Reference is directed to said patents for full details of the construction and operation. Insofar as the present invention is concerned it is necessary only to explain that the sliders 17 have rear butts 18 and further rear butts 19, the butts 18 being under control of a row of droppers 20 having lower butts 21 to be raised and lowered by vertical movements of the droppers 20 into and out of operative registry with the rear butts 18, and the other rear butts 19 being under control of a bar 22 which is displaceable forwardly and rearwardly to permit forward advance of selected sliders, following a selecting operation, through the intermediary of lowered droppers and to return the advanced sliders ready for a next selecting operation. A selecting operation follows raising of lowered droppers, by movement of a bar 24, to the upper inoperative level whereat upper butts such as 23 thereon are at a high level so that at this stage all the droppers are held raised by the bar 24. The bar 24 is secured for arcuate movement on a bushing 25 on a shaft 26- and the bushing is rotatably displaced on the shaft 26 by a toggle device indicated generally at 27 which is operable by a link 28 connected to one arm 29 of a bell crank device the other 0 arm 30 of which is connected by a link 31 to a cam fol- It will be understood that the needlebar 2 and the dropper bar 24 are operated once per course by their associated cams since the shaft 7 has the usual one revolution per knitting cycle of the machine.

In the instance of the needles 1 it is required, for patterning by float stitching, as disclosed in said U.S. Patent No. 3,292,395, and US. Patent No. 3,370,443 that the needles be selectively controlled so that different selections of the needles are held down at an inoperative height, while the remainder knit, in different courses.

In the instance of the droppers 20, it is required, for patterning by tuck stitching, as disclosed in said U.S. Patent No. 3,292,395 and US. Patent No. 3,370,443 that the droppers and consequently the sliders and needles, be selectively controlled so that different selections of the needles have their beards unpressed by their sliders for tucking, while the remainder have their beards pressed by their sliders for knitting, in different courses.

For these selecting purposes the needle and dropper butts 1a, 23 are under control of electromagnetic control means.

Dealing first with the needles 1, with particular reference to FIGURE 11, the electro-magnetic control means comprises a casing in the form of a stationary slotted guide bar and comprising an inverted upper channel bar 35 secured to the machine frame 16 by screws, a lower channel bar 36, and an intermediate bar 37, all of which bars are releasably secured together by screws extending through portions 38 to 43 thereof.

Mounted in slots formed between the inverted upper channel bar 35 and the intermediate bar 37, and between the latter and the lower channel bar 36, are upper and lower rows respectively of needle

butt selecting sliders

51, 52. The upper sliders 51 have upstanding butts 53 and the lower sliders 52 have depending butts 54.

The position of the

channel bars

35, 36 and

sliders

51, 52 is opposite the lower ends of the needles 1 and such that the

sliders

51, 52 project from the casing towards the needles for co-operation with the needle butts 1a. Within this casing, as indicated by

reference numerals

35, 36 and 37, of FIG. 3 extends a channel-forming frame bar 44, see also FIGURE 6, having an upper channel part 45 provided by an upper bar 71 and an intermediate bar 67 for an upper row of electro-magnets 46 having cores 47 which register with said upstanding butts S3, and a channel-forming frame bar 44' having a lower channel part 48 provided by an intermediate bar 68 and a lower bar 72 for a lower row of electro-magnets 49 having cores 50 which register with said depending butts 54.

Although the electro-magnets are of small thickness, being composed of the cores 47, t and coil windings CW, of FIGURE 6, of substantially oblong cross section, the distance apart of successive cores is greater than the pitch of the needles. It is for this reason that the electromagnets and sliders are provided in the two rows, and, as shown in FIGURE 6, the electro-magnets of the two rows are relatively staggered, and as shown in FIGURE 4 the sliders of the two rows are similarly relatively staggered. Thus the upper sliders are disposed to co-operate with the needle butts of alternate needles and the lower sliders are disposed to co-operate with the needle butts of the other alternate needles.

In addition the needle butts 1a of the alternate needles are at a suitable high level and the butts 1a of the other alternate needles are at a suitable lower level; conveniently the alternate needles are consequently short needles and the other alternate needles are long needles as shown in FIGURES 1 and 3.

The channel-forming frame bars 44 and 44' have

end extensions

55, 57 and 56, 58, respectively secured to its ends, FIGURE 3, secured to arms 59, 60 extending upwardly from a rod 61 to which is fixed a cam follower lever 62 having a cam follower 63 engaging a cam 64 on the shaft 7.

Thus the electro-magnets are displaceable by the cam 64 displacing the channel-forming

bars

44 and 44 relative to the casing between an operative position at the needle side of the

casing

35, 36, 37, as shown in FIGURE 1, and an inoperative position at the opposite side of the casing.

The electro-magnets are electrically wired by conducting

wires

65, 66 to banks of programming electric switches 157. These switches are part of reader means and are staggered to co-operate individually with punched chart feelers 158 having pegs 159 for co-operating with holes in a programming punched chart 160, the latter being racked by sutable ratchet mechanism such as a ratchet wheel 16]. on a drum 162 supporting the punched chart and a pawl 163 carried by a cam follower lever 164 having a cam follower 165 engaging a cam 166 on the shaft 7.

The electric circuit for the electro-

magnets

46, 49 and the switches 157 is shown in FIGURE 7 and the electromagnets are commoned by electrical conductors ECl, EC2 extending through a pair of spaced bars 67, 68 of the channel-forming frame bars 44 and 44', respectively, see also FIGURE 6.

FIGURE 6 also shows that each electro-magnet has side walls 69, 70, and the bars 67, 68 and the opposite bars 71, 72 are formed with slots 73 such that the electromagnets are mounted by sliding them in the slots, the edges of the side plates 69, 70 closely fitting against the sides of successive slots to locate the electro-magnets against lateral movement.

In use of the mechanism thus far described, the punched chart is set out with an arrangement of rows of holes to suit a float stitch pattern required. That is to say for any needle in any course that is required to be inoperative thereby casting off its yarn to form a float thread there will be a corresponding hole in a corresponding course row of holes in the punched chart. Thus for each course requiring float stitches a required selection of the needles will be selected to be inoperative by holes in the punched chart causing appropriate of the switches 157 to close thereby causing the associated electromagnets to become energized. The timing relationship between the racking of the punched chart to make the selections and of the displacements of the electro-magnets is determined by the cams 64-, 166 such that the electro-magnets are energized when they are in their inoperative postion whereat the core ends are adjacent the silder butts when the latter are farthest away from the needles.

Then the cam 64 allows movement of the electromagnets, by spring bias on the cam follower lever, towards the needles such that those electro-magnets which are energized are magnetically gripped to their associated slider butts so as to carry their associated sliders with them whereas the remaining non-energized electromagnets leave their associated sliders behind.

The timing of this movement in relation to the needle bars movement is determined by the

cams

6 and 64 such that the selected advanced sliders project into the path of the butts of their associated needles as the latter rise from the knock over height. Thus these needles are held down at inoperative height by engagement of their butts under their associated sliders to form float threads whereas the remaining needles rise and knit.

Before the needles next descend, cam 64 displaces the electro-magnets back to their original position and in so doing the advanced sliders are returned by the electromagnets pushing against the slider butts to their original position corresponding to that of the remaining sliders, and the punched card is racked-on for the next selection and so on.

It will be seen that this arrangement is substantially positive since the electro-magnets are caused to be in magnetically gripped contact with the slider butts for their advancement, whereas in the instance of solenoids reliance has to be undesirably placed on a magnetic field. It is also possible to produce electromagnets of desirably smaller dimensions than those of solenoids thereby desirably ccupying less space.

Dealing now with the dropper arrangement for tuck patterning, there is provided behind the droppers 20, FIGURE 1, upper and lower rows of electro-

magnets

74, 75 which are of the same form as the electro-magn-ets 46, and they are similarly mounted in channels 76, 77, FIGURES 3 and 5. The channels are formed by a channel-forming frame bar comprising an upper bar 78, a lower bar 79 and an intermediate bar 80 which project from a back plate 81. The electro-

magnets

74, 75 are electrically connected in the electric circuit similarly to the electromagnets 46 as shown in FIGURE 7 except that they are commoned by an electrical conductor EC3 extending through, the single intermediate bar 80.

The

frame bar

78, 79, 80 FIGURE 3 is mounted on the upper ends of

arms

82, 82 which are secured to a rod 83 on which there is also a cam follower lever 84 which carries a cam follower 85 engaging a cam 86 on the shaft 7 whereby the electro-magnets are displaceable between a rear inoperative position and an advanced operative position.

Just above the frame bars 78, 79 and 80, FIGURE 3, is a stationary slotted guide bar 87 carried by end brackets 88 from a machine rail 89, and in underside slots 87a in the bar 87 is slidably mounted a row of dropper butt selective sliders 90. Each slider 90 has a depending butt whereof alternate ones 91 are short butts and the remainder 92 are long butts, and the

electromagnets

74, 75 are in staggered relationship as shown in FIGURES 3 and to correspond with the sliders long and short butts which are engaged by the cores of the

electromagnets

74 and 75 when the latter are moved by the cam 86 to a rear inoperative position relative to the stationary slotted guide bar 87.

The control sliders 90 are at a level just below the level of the upper butts 23 on the droppers when the latter are in their upper inoperative position, and the timing relationship between the

cams

66, 86 and 34 is such that when a hole in the punched chart 60 causes closing of an electric switch 57, its associated one of the electro-

magnets

74, 75 is energized, while the latter are in their rear position so that this selected electromagnet is then in magnetic gripping contact with its associated control slider 90; then after the cam 34 has operated bar 24 to hold all the droppers 20 in their upper position, the electro-magnets are advanced by cam 86, to a front operative position relative to the stationary slotted guide bar 87, the selected electro-magnet carrying its associated control slider with it thereby to project the leading end of the slider to a position underneath the butt of its associated dropper 20. Consequently when next bar 24 is lowered, all those droppers 20 which similarly have their associated sliders advanced under their butts, from holes in the punched chart, are held thereby in the upper inoperative position so that their associated sliders 17 are not operated from cam 34 and the associated needle beards are not pressed whereby tuck stiches are eventually formed on these needles.

During this time those droppers 20 which have lowered cause their associated sliders to be advanced from cam 34 whereby their associated needle beards are pressed for kniting by these needles.

Further motion of the

claims

34, 66 and 86 causes return of the parts and a fresh selection to be made and so on.

FIGURE 8, in which the channel-forming frame bar 44 is not shown with clarity, illustrates the fact that if necessary the electromagnet cores such as 46a to 46d may be staggered for example in groups of four, as shown in FIGURE 9, or groups of any other convenient number, and the control sliders will then have an equivalent number of different sizes of butts in similar groups, such as the four heights of butts 53a to 53d, to register respectively with the different cores.

FIGURE 10 illustrates tht if desired each control slider butt such as 53 may have an enlargement 53 for better surface contact with its associated electro-magnet core.

It is to be understod that similar electro-magnetic control units to those described may be employed with or without appropriate modification for controlling other machine instruments such for example as transfer points.

It is also to be noted that the machine will generally be of multi-section type as represented in FIGURE 2 there being a plurality of knitting sections such as the two sections 18, 28 illustrated. Each section will have its own electro-magnets as indicated at 46, 49 and 74, 75 all programmed from the same programming means 57-66.

What we claim is:

1. A knitting machine having in combination, a needle bar, a series of needles frictionally mounted in said needle bar, a series of needle butts on said needles, a sinker bar, a series of sinkers in said sinker bar, a series of needle control sliders in said sinker bar, a series of slider con trolling droppers, a series of dropper butts on said droppers, first and second channel forming frame bar means, each said frame bar means having upper, lower, and intermediate bars spaced a short distance from each other and each formed with a series of slots, first and second series of selecting sliders in said first and second frame bars for control of said needle butts and said dropper butts respectively, spaced plates disposed with upper and lower edges thereof in said slots with narrow spaces between them, first and second series of electric programme controlled electro-magnets disposed in said spaces between said plates in said slots of said first and second frame bars respectively for control of said first and second series of sliders respectively, first and second lever mounting means for said first and second series of electro-magnets respectively, and rotary cam means for operating said first and second lever means.

2. A machine having in combination, a needle bar, a series of needles frictionally mounted in said needle bar, a series of needle butts on said needles, a sinker bar, a series of sinkers in said sinker bar, a series of needle control sliders in said sinker bar, a series of slider controlling droppers, a series of dropper butts on said droppers, first and second channel forming frame bars, first and second series of selecting sliders in said first and second frame bars for control of said needle butts and dropper butts respectively, first and second series of electric programme controlled electro-magnets in said first and second frame bars respectively for control of said first and second series of sliders respectively, said selecting sliders having butts and said butts having enlarge ments for engagements by said electro-magnets, first and second lever mounting means for said first and second series of electro-magnets respectively, and rotary cam means for operating said first and second lever means.

3. A machine having in combination, a needle bar, a series of needles frictionally mounted in said needle bar, a series of needle butts on said needles, a sinker bar, a series of sinkers in said sinker bar, a series of needle control sliders in said sinker bar, a series of slider controlling droppers, a series of dropper butts on said droppets, first and second channel forming frame bars, first and second series of selecting sliders in said first and second frame bars for control of said needle butts and dropper butts respectively, said first frame bar compris ing a lower channel bar, an inverted upper channel bar, and an intermediate bar, with said needle control sliders disposed in a lower row between said lower channel bar and said intermediate bar, and an upper row between said intermediate bar and said upper inverted channel bar, said lower row of sliders having depending butts, said upper row of sliders having upstanding butts, first and second series of electric programme controlled electro-magnets in said first and second frame bars respectively for control of said first and second series of sliders respectively, said electro-magnets being disposed in a lower row registering'with said depending butts and an upper row registering with said upstanding butts, said butts being of various lengths and said electro-magnets being staggered, first and second lever mounting means for said first and second series of electro-magnets respectively and rotary cam means for operating said first and second lever means.

4. A knitting machine having in combination, a needle bar, a series of needles frictionally mounted in said needle bar, a series of needle butts on said needles, a sinker bar, a series of sinkers in said sinker bar, a series of needle control sliders in said sinker bar, a series of slider controlling droppers, a series of dropper butts on said droppers, first and second stationary slotted guide bars, first and second channel forming frame bar means forming first and second pairs of channels, first and second series of selecting sliders mounted in said stationary slotted guide bars respectively in positions for control of said needle butts and dropper butts respectively, first and second series of electric programme controlled electro-magnets mounted in said first and second pairs of channels respectively in positions for control of said first and second series of sliders respectively, first and second lever mounting means for said first and second series of electro-magnets respectively, and rotary cam means for operating said first and second lever means.

5. A knitting machine as claimed in claim 4 wherein said first stationary slotted guide bar is of hollow form comprising a lower channel bar, an inverted upper channel bar, and an intermediate bar, with said needle butt selecting sliders disposed in a lower row of slots between said lower channel bar and said intermediate bar, and an upper row in slots between said intermediate bar, and said upper inverted channel bar, said lower row of sliders having depending butts, said upper row of sliders having upstanding butts, said first channel forming frame bar comprises an upper channel part in said upper channel bar and a lower channel part in said lower channel bar and electro-magnets being disposed in said lower channel part registering with said depending butts and in said upper channel registering with said upstanding butts, said butts being of various lengths and said electromagnets being staggered.

6. A knitting machine as claimed in claim 4 wherein said second stationary slotted guide bar has underside slots in which said dropper butt selecting sliders are disposed, said second channel forming frame bar is disposed under said sliders and comprises an upper channel part and a lower channel part, upper and lower rows of electro-magnets are disposed in said upper and lower channel parts and said dropper butt selecting sliders have short and long butts depending to locations opposite said upper and lower rows of electro-magnets respectively.

7. A knitting machine having in combination, a movable slotted bar, a series of like instruments frictionally mounted in said slotted bar, a series of instrument butts on said instruments, a stationary slotted guide bar, a series of selecting sliders mounted in said stationary slotted guide bar in positions for control of said instrument butts, cam operating means for operating said series of selecting sliders, and means for selecting said selecting sliders for selective operation comprising upper and lower channel forming frame bar means connected to said cam operating means and having upper, lower and intermediate bars each having a series of slots and forming upper and lower channels adjacent each other, spaced plates in said channels disposed with upper and lower edges thereof in said slots with narrow spaces between them, upper and lower rows of electro-magnets disposed in said spaces between said plates in said upper and lower channels respectively, and two series of slider butts on said selecting sliders directed towards said upper and lower rows of electro-magnets respectively, whereby said electro-magnets are mounted for movement to move said sliders through magnetic contact and in a small space.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,398,554 8/1968 Start et al 6696 XR 3,370,443 2/1968 Bentley et 211. 1,571,765 2/1926 Fels. 2,075,139 3/1937 Scheller. 2,157,989 5/1939 Lawson 6675 3,248,901 5/1966 Woodcock et al. 665 3,262,285 7/1966 Beguin et a1. 3,318,110 5/1967 Monk et a1. 3,292,395 12/1966 Bentley et al 66154 FOREIGN PATENTS 406,181 2/1934 Great Britain. 883,432 11/1961 Great Britain.

WM. CARTER REYNOLDS, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 6696, 102