US3696764A - Apparatus for the impaling of weft-knitted and warp-knitted goods on needles - Google Patents

Abstract

Apparatus for the mechanical impaling of weft-knitted and warpknitted goods on needles of knit-goods machines which includes a pair of rollers having peripheral grooves gripping around the needle heads. The rollers are adapted to act on the goods to be impaled and are arranged so as to have their grooves gripping the needles consecutively with one roller ahead of the other roller in the working direction. The first roller has a groove of less depth than the groove of the second roller to narrowly grip the extremity of each needle. In turn, the second roller has a wider groove than the groove of the first roller adapted to the curvature of the needle and the thickness of the goods. Vibration means are provided to vibrate the rollers in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the needles and the rollers are axially shiftable on their axles.

Description

United States Patent Merkle [72] Inventor: Eberhardt Merkle, Stuttgart-Vaihingen, Germany [73] Assignee: Wilhelm Bleyle KG, Stuttgart, Germany 22 Filed: May 8, 1969 [21] 'Appl.No.: 822,993

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data July 17, 1968 Germany ..P 17 60 903.9

[52] US. Cl ..112/25 [51] Int. Cl. ..l )05b 7/00 [58] Field of Search ..l 12/25-27 [56] I References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 543,795 7/1895 Arnold ..1l2/25 X 928,787 7/1909 Nelson ..l12/25 1,672,021 6/1928 Cohen ..1 12/26 Oct. 10, 1972 2,889,789- 3,100,464 Wick et a]. ..1 12/27 Primary Examiner-Jordan Franklin Assistant Examiner-Geo. V. Larkin Attorney-Kane, Dalsimer, Kane, Sullivan & Kurucz 57 ABSTRACT Apparatus for the mechanical impaling of weft-knitted and warp-knitted goods on needles of knit-goods machines which includes a pair of rollers having peripheral grooves gripping around the needle heads. The rollers are adapted to act on the goods to be impaled and are arranged so as to have their grooves gripping the needles consecutively with one roller ahead of the other roller in the working direction. The first roller has a groove of less depth than the groove of the second roller to narrowly grip the extremity of each needle. In turn, the second roller has a wider groove than the groove of the first roller adapted to the curvature of the needle and the thickness of the goods. Vibration means are provided to vibrate the rollers in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the needles and the rollers are axially shiftable on their axles.

6 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures Sidore ..1 12/26 APPARATUS FOR THE IMPALING OF WEFT- KNITTED AND WARP-KNITTED GOODS ON NEEDLES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a device for the mechanical impaling of weft-knitted and warp-knitted goods on needles of circular looping machines. The. device acts by means of a roller having a peripheral groove gripping around the needles on the goods to be impaled.

Even with high ability, the impaling of pieces of goods on needles by hand requires a great expenditure of time. This expenditure considerably limits the possibilities of exploitation of the looping machines. Furthermore, in the case of fine mesh and heavy goods it requires great efforts which can lead to damage to the hands, particularly of female workers.

In order to limit the expenditure of time for the impaling to the same as for looping and to be able to carry it out in the same operation, it has already been proposed to provide a drive-free, freely movable roller with a peripheral groove extending around the needles positioned on a bracket arranged radially on the middle column of the looping machine. By pivoting this bracket, the roller can be guided along the needle over the pieces of goods to be impaled, which are shifted down on the needle shafts. Furthermore, it has already been proposed to arrange likewise freely rotatable roller on the front extremity, seen in working direction, of a glide rail which has the task to push the pieces of goods down on the needles. The freely rotatable roller acts on one side of the needle on the piece of goods gripped by the needles and pulled through under the impaling device.

Such devices can accomplish their task only in the case of light goods such as stockings, but not in the case of of heavy and fine-meshed goods which have a considerable resistance against the shifting down on the needle shaft. The shifting down is then possible only under strong pressure and multiple to-and-fro movements of the work supporting needles orthe impaling device, therefore, there is no longer any advantage when compared with impaling by hand. Fine mesh flexible pieces of goods such as those of synthetic fiber or those lined with taffeta tend to tilt on the extremities of the needles and to clamp between the roller or its grooved wall and the needles.

Still further, it has been proposed to have freely movable rollers or guiding rails in a to-and-fro movement in the direction of the needles which act on the pieces of goods guided underneath them by the work supporting needles. However, the working of this device, which depends upon the working cycle of the sewing apparatus or the rotation of the work supporting points, is not able to avoid the disadvantages described above, so that it can likewise be only used for light merchandise such as in the looping of stockings. In actual practice, none of the above suggested proposals has satisfied the requirements of the art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is a purpose of the invention to avoid the above discussed disadvantages and to provide a mechanical impaling device which can also impale knitable fabrics having the tendency to tilt or to wedge themselves, heavy goods in several layers and goods with seams.

In general, this result is produced by arranging a further roller behind a freely movable roller which is in front in working direction. Each of the rollers has a peripheral groove gripping on two sides around the needles. The depth of action of the front roller is smaller than that of the following roller and the first roller narrowly encloses the extremities of the work supporting needles. In contrast, the rear roller has a larger width to its groove and is adapted to the curvature of the needles and the thickness of the material respectively. Means are additionally provided which is utilized to subnrit the two rollers to rapid vibration of high frequency in their direction of action. The two rollers are arranges so that they are actually axially shiftable on their respective axles and furthermore the outer rim of the disc-shaped lateral limits of the groove of each roller is chamfered toward the interior. The rollers may be interchangeable so that rollers with a width and depth of the groove can be selected according to the goods to be impaled. A holder may also be provided on the impaling device. There is supplementary means which may be fastened on the holder such as edge pressing rollers, edge rules, optical enlargement devices or lighting fixtures. The rapid vibration of the cited pair of rollers can be generated by a magnet oscillator. The impaling device may be guided on an arm pivoting around the middle column of the looping machine. This arm would be utilized for elastically pressing the impaling device against the pieces of goods to be impaled. Furthermore, means may be provided which allow the device to be swung away to and from a working position and its blocking in whichever respective position desired.

In short, the apparatus'provided by this invention embodies a device for the mechanical impaling of weftknitted and wrap-knitted goods on needles of knitgoods machines. The apparatus basically includes a first and second roller with each roller having a peripheral groove gripping around the needles. The first and second rollers are adapted to act on the goods to be impaled and are arranged so as to have their grooves embracing the needles consecutively with the first roller leading the second roller in the working direction. The first roller has a groove of less depth than the groove of the second roller to narrowly grip the extremity of each needle. A second roller has a wider groovethan the groove of the first roller and is adapted to the curvature of the needle and the thickness of the goods. Vibration means are provided to vibrate the rollers in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the needle and the rollers are axially shiftable on their respective axles.

With the above and other objects in mind, reference is had to the attached drawing of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of the apparatus of the invention in operational position with respect to a looping machine shown by means of a sectional view through a work supporting needle plate thereof;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus of the invention shown mounted on the work supporting needle plate of a looping machine and depicted in the direction A as indicated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial front elevation view of the apparatus of the invention showing a detail of the front roller; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary front elevation view of the apparatus of the invention showing the rear roller portion thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As depicted in the drawings, rollers 3 and 4, which act on fabric 2 to be impaled on the work supporting needles, are rotatable on the pivot pin and can be axially shifted. Pivot pins Sare rigidly mounted on roller holder 6 which itself is rigidly connected with the swinging axle configured as an extended rocking shaft of a magnet oscillator or vibrator enclosed in casing 8.

' The details of the magnet oscillator are not depicted in the drawings, however there are many types of magnet oscillators known in the art which may be utilized with this invention. Roller 3, which is in front in working direction, is of a smaller diameter than rear roller 4. Both rollers 3 and 4 have a peripheral groove 9 and 10 respectively (preferably wide and deep as shown) by means of which they embrace the work supporting needles 1 of machine 40 from top and bottom in the relationship as shown in the drawings. Groove 9 of the front roller 3 is less deep and less wide than groove 10 of the rear roller 4 so that groove 9 grips around only the cylindrical part of the needles, while groove 10 can embrace the needles down to the necessary impaling depth as shown particularly in FIGS. 3 and 4. The respective outer rims 11 and 12 of the disc-shaped lateral walls of grooves 9 and 10 are chamfered toward the interior. Casing 8 of the magnet oscillator is fastened on an arm 13 which can be pivoted around an axle 14. This arm may be held elastically in the desired position by means of the lever 16 penetrating into the slotted disc 15. Axle 14 is arranged on a bracket fastened pivotally on the middle column of the looping machine, but which is not shown in detail in the drawings. The housing or casing 8 of the swing magnet or oscillator 20 is mounted on an arm 13 capable of swinging on a pivot 14. A pivot or axle 14 is mounted on a bracket arm fixed to the leg of the machine. The levers 16 which are pivotted on the bearing 23 provided on the bracket arm 21 are held by spring action against the disc attached to arm 13 and lying in its plane of swing, while engaging rests 25 on the circumference of the disc by rollers 24. On a stationary shaft 17 which is mounted 'on casing 8, supplementary devices 18 may be fastened such as edge pressing rollers, edge rules, oralso opticalenlargement and illumination fixtures. On the extreme end of shaft 17, a connection piece 19 may be provided in which the outer extremity of the extended shaft 7 is journaled. As

shown, the impaling device embraces the work supporting needles from below, the pivot pins 5 are directed upward so that rollers 3 and 4 can be put on loosely from above and can be interchanged easily with others having different grooves -9 and 10 with respective widths and depths adapted for use with the particular goods to be impaled and the particular shape of the needles being utilized.

When the impalingdevice is swung in or blocked, respectively, in its work position, rollers 3 and 4 are lifted by the gliding of their respective chamfered outer rims 11 and 12 on the extremities of the work supporting needles in an adjustment corresponding to the curvature of the work supporting needles 1 and theform of these needles as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The fabric, being guided possibly with edge rolling devices 18 under the front roller 3, is shifted by this roller first on the extremities of the needles and then is shifted by rear roller 4 on the needle shaft down to the desired depth. Because of the rapid vibrations of rollers 3 and 4, which is essentially in a direction toward the needles and which is is generated by the magnet oscillator provided in casing 8, this impaling process is carried out. in a surprisingly effortless manner withouta special pressure on the rollers in one single passage and in a time corresponding and adapted to the working cycle of the sewing device. Narrow groove 9 of front roller 3 grips only around the extremities of the needles and its smaller penetration depth prevents the danger that the fabrics 2 might tilt and get wedged between the needles and the lateral walls of the grooves. After the needle exits from the groove of roller 3 and reaches the groove of rear roller 4, a wedging of the fabric already shifted on the extremities of the needle is no longer possible and therefore rear roller 4 can be adapted to the curvatures of the needle and the thickness of the fabric or the possible presence of seams. Enabling the axial shifting of rollers 3 and 4 on their pivot pins 5 also assists in avoiding any obstacles which could lead to wedging such as the presence of seams'in the fabric or deformed needles which is a prevalent problem with the know impaling devices in the art. In this manner, by permitting a shifting of the rollers 3 and 4 this apparatus avoidsdamage of this type occurring to the needles, The axial displaceability of rollers 3 and 4 on their bearing pins 5 enables them to adapt themselves in position with respect to obstacles such as seams in the goods or bent needles, so that the obstacles cannot jam against either of the inside walls of grooves 9 and 10.

This apparatus is not limited alone to looping machines of round and flat construction, but it can be used just as advantageously for the transfer combs of straight knitters. For special and exceptional cases, it may also be suitable to use the apparatus of this invention as a hand device.

Thus, the above mentioned objects of the invention, among others, are achieved.

Iclaim:

1. Apparatus including vibration means for the mechanical impaling of weft-knitted and warp-knitted goods on needles of knit-goods machines such as a looping machine comprising:

means on said apparatus to removably mount the apparatus to a machine having a plurality of needles thereon;

each of said needles having a longitudinal axis;

a first and second roller on the apparatus with each roller having a peripheral groove embracing the needles;

each roller being mounted on an axle on the ap paratus;

vibration means on said apparatus;

said rollers being vibrated by the vibration means in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the needle embraced thereby;

said first and second rollers adapted to transfer the vibration caused by said vibration means to the goods to be impaled; said rollers arranged so as to have their grooves embracing the needles consecutively with the first roller leading said second roller;

said first roller having a groove of less depth than the groove of the second roller to narrowly embrace the extremity of each needle;

said second roller having a wider groove than the groove of the first roller adapted to any predetermined curvature of a needle and the thickness of the goods; and

said rollers being axially shiftable on their axles.

2. The invention in accordance with claim 1 wherein each roller has a pair of substantially parallel discshaped lateral walls, a portion of said walls defining the side walls of said groove, and the outer edge portions of the rollers are adapted to be removably mountedon their axles.

5. The invention in accordance with claim 1 wherein said apparatus is adapted for hand use.

6. The invention in accordance with Claim 1 wherein in the means on said apparatus for removably mounting the apparatus to a machine including means to permit the apparatus to be swung and blocked.

. WTEU STATES PATENT OFFICE I Q ERHHQATE 0 wRREcTmN Pat emf No. 3, 69 6 7'64 I fimt' ed b 1972' it is terrified that eiror appear in the above-identified patent I v and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

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Claims (6)

1. Apparatus including vibration means for the mechanical impaling of weft-knitted and warp-knitted goods on needles of knit-goods machines such as a looping machine comprising: means on said apparatus to removably mount the apparatus to a machine having a plurality of needles thereon; each of said needles having a longitudinal axis; a first and second roller on the apparatus with each roller having a peripheral groove embracing the needles; each roller being mounted on an axle on the apparatus; vibration means on said apparatus; said rollers being vibrated by the vibration means in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the needle embraced thereby; said first and second rollers adapted to transfer the vibration caused by said vibration means to the goods to be impaled; said rollers arranged so as to have their grooves embracing the needles consecutively with the first roller leading said second roller; said first roller having a groove of less depth than the groove of the second roller to narrowly embrace the extremity of each needle; said second roller having a wider groove than the groove of the first roller adapted to any predetermined curvature of a needle and the thickness of the goods; and said rollers being axially shiftable on their axles.

2. The invention in accordance with claim 1 wherein each roller has a pair of substantially parallel disc-shaped lateral walls, a portion of said walls defining the side walls of said groove, and the outer edge portions of each of said lateral walls being chamfered toward the bottom of said groove.

3. The invention in accordance with claim 1 wherein said rollers are adapted to be removably mounted on a common sized axle thereby permitting the utilization of a multiplicity of interchangeable rollers with the rollers having a variety of different diameters and the grooves therein having a variety of different depths and widths.

4. The invention in accordance with claim 1 wherein the rollers are adapted to be removably mounted on their axles.

5. The invention in accordance with claim 1 wherein said apparatus is adapted for hand use.

6. The invention in accoRdance with Claim 1 wherein in the means on said apparatus for removably mounting the apparatus to a machine including means to permit the apparatus to be swung and blocked.

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