US2068688A - Knitting machine - Google Patents

Description

M. C. MILLER KNITTING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 9, 1932 Jan. 26, 1937. M. c. MILLER KNITTING MACHINE Filed March 9, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. 26, 1937.

M. c. MILLER 2,068,688

KNITTING MACHINE Filed March 9, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 THTVWTKT 75 I5 69 69 1 69 H6 I5 5 assembly of the points.

Patented Jan. 23," 1937 UNIT-E STATES PATENT OFFICE Max 0. Miller, Cumberland, R. I.

Application March 9, 1932, Serial No. 597,743

7 Claims.

The present invention relates to knitting machines, and is herein disclosed as specifically embodied in a flat full-fashioned cotton type machine. The primary object of the present invention is to provide a machine for knitting non-run loop fabric having the general characteristics of the fabric described in the co-pending application of the present applicant Serial No. 594,834, filed February 24, 1932, for Knitted fabric and method of producing the same.

More specifically it is an object of the invention to provide a knitting machine which is adapted for knitting designated courses to cause a plurality of needle loops of a course to be drawn through a single loop of a preceding course, so that each of the single loops treated in this manner will be supported, as additional courses of the fabric are knitted, by two or more series of loops forming separate fabric wales.

Another object of the invention. is to provide mechanism of this general description which is readily applicable to existing types of machine, and operates to lift and spread designated needle loops over a plurality of needles, so that each of the loops formed by these needles on the next succeeding course, will be drawn through the same loop.

Another object of the invention is to provide novel .and improved instrumentalities for handling yarn, which while particularly adapted for use in connection with the flat Cotton type machine herein disclosed for knitting non-run looped fabric, are well adapted for use in other types of machines, and for knitting other types of fabric. v

With these and other objects in view, as may hereinafter appear, a principal feature of the invention consists in the provision of a loop lifting mechanism which is arranged to engage with and lift designated needle loops from the needles, and to spread these loops over a plurality of needles, so that each of the loops taken by these needles in the next succeeding course of knitting, will be drawn through the spread loops.

Another feature of the invention consists in the provision of novel and improved loop lifting instrumentalities comprising loop lifting points which are simple and sturdy in construction, economical of space, and readily mounted in the support to securea firm and accurately aligned The several features of the invention consist also in the devices, combinations and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed which, together with the advantages to be obtained thereby will be readily understood by one skilled in the art from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is an end view cross section of a part of a flat full-fashioned Cotton type machine with the new mechanism applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a front view elevation of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an end view cross section of the machine with various parts omitted to illustrate particularly the control mechanism for the loop lifting and spreading mechanism; Fig. 4 is a detail view in front elevation of the cam, controlling the position of the loop lifting points lengthwise of the machine, as shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view showing the development of the cam in Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is an enlarged end view of the cooperating point bars used in the new structure; Fig. '7 is a sectional view of the points taken on the line 'I-Jo'f Fig.6 Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic drawing of the fabric on the needles at the time both sets of points are in engagement with their respective needles and their loops; Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic drawing of the fabric on the needles with the smaller points remaining in engagement with their cooperating needles as the larger points are drawn away from the needles prior to being shifted endwise; Fig. 10 is a diagrammatic drawing of the fabric on the needles showing the small set of points still in engagement with their respective needles, and with the larger points shifted sideways and co-acting with adjoining needles; Fig. 11 is an end view illustrating a preferred form of loop lifting point and the supporting bar; Fig. 12 is a partial section taken on the line I 2-l2 of Fig. 11 showing the point grooves in the point support bar; Fig. 13 is an-enlarged detail view in side elevation of the new loop lifting point; Fig. 14 is a front elevation of the point vshown in Fig. 13; Fig. 15 is a cross section taken on the line l5-l5 of Fig. 13; and Fig. 16 is a section taken on the line |6--l6 of Fig. 13.

As illustrated in the drawings, the invention is disclosed in a preferred form as applied to a flat full-fashioned Cotton type knitting machine provided with a narrowing machine attachment of ordinary description and arranged to have the ordinary mode of operation of these machines. In carrying out the invention, mechanism has been provided which is arranged to transfer a portion of each of certain needle Wale loops to adjoining needles while retaining the other portion of such elements which may be similar to the ordinary 5 picot bar utilized on these machines, and an additional set of loop lifting elements which are arranged to cooperate therewith, The two sets of points are arranged to engage with each other and with the needles, so that the needle loops will be cast off from the needles onto the superimposed points, one set then being moved relatively to the other to register these points with adjacent needles, thus causing the loops to be spread over two needles, so that two needle loops of the next succeeding course will be drawn through each one of the spread loops.

In the drawings, the needles are indicated at I,

the needle bed for supporting the needles at 2, the sinkers at 3, the catch bar at 4, the fixed pressing surfaces at 5, and the sinker head support at 6. A narrowing machine of ordinary con: struction is provided which comprises the usual narrowing machine rod I carried on the arms 8 pivotally mounted on,a rod 9 on the rear side of the machine. Secured to the rod 1 are the hangers I0 carrying the bars II and I2 to which are fastened the narrowing point units l3 and M in accordance with the usual practice. The rod 1 is also provided with brackets arranged to receive the picot rod l5 which carries pivotally mounted thereon the hangers l6 rigidily secured at their lower ends to the picot bar H on which are fastened the picot points H3. The picot bar I! is rigidly secured in operative position to turn with the rod 1, or can be moved relatively thereto and latched out of operative position by means of a spring-pressed plunger l9 mounted in a bracket 29 secured to the rod 1, and arranged to engage alternatively with two slots 2| or 22 in the face of a disk-shaped extension 23 formed. on one of the hangers Hi.

The entire narrowing machine assembly mounted on the arms 8 is supported in the usual manner by a vertical link 24 secured at its upper end to a bracket on the rod I, and at its lower end connected to a laterally extending cam lever arm 25 which is pivoted at 26 on the machine frame, and

is provided intermediate its length with a cam roll a arranged normally to ride on an idler roll on the cam shaft 21 for the machine, and when rendered operative by the usual lengthwise shifting of the shaft, to engage with its actuating cam a. Inasmuch as the movements imparted to the narrowing machine .by the cam a and the cooperating movements of the needles during the operation of the narrowing machine and the relative I timing of these elements are preferably the same as normally employed in machines of this description, further illustration of the movements imparted to the narrowing machine as a whole and the needle movements cooperating therewith, is believed unnecessary, and has been omitted.

The new mechanism consists of the arms 28 supporting the new point control rod 29, to which is fastened for swinging movement the arms 30 which form a rigid part of the new point bar 3| and to which are fastened the points 32. There are further provided the spring plunger supports 33, rigidly fastened to the rod 29 and fitted with a spring plunger 34 which engages either in the notch 35 or '36, the former for locking the points in the working position and the latter for holding them swung upwardly in their idle position. There arms 9, so that upon normal up and. down movement of the narrowing machine, no in and out movement need betransmitted to the points 32. The arcuate slot 39 is formed in the lever M which is rigidly fastened to a shaft 4! extending throughout the machine length, said shaft having fastened to it, at some portion of its length, a lever 42 which is provided at its lower end with a cam roll 0 arranged to engage with an idler cam on the main cam shaft 2! of the machine. Inasmuch as the inner points 32 with the mode of operation of the parts herein set forth are given a simple arcuate movement about the pivot shaft 9 of the narrowing machine, and are brought into and out of engagement with the needles by the usual in and out movements imparted to the needle bar during the operation of the narrowing mechanism, the shaft-4| and lever 42 are maintained at all times in a constant position, the idler cam engaging the roll 0, being arranged for this purpose to maintain its engaging contact therewith when the cam shaft 21- is shifted endwise in the usual manner to bring the narrowing machine into operation. A tension spring acts on the lever 42 to maintain the roll 0 in engaging contact with its cam. At its upper end the slot 39 is cut away at one side; so that with the parts as shown in Fig. 1, the lever 37 and roll 38 may be disconnected therefrom and moved in a counterwardly to inoperative position where it is held by the engagement of the spring plunger 34 with the notch 36.

The new mechanism also consists in the addition of a lever which is rigidly fastened to the present picot rod I5, and is provided at its lower end with a pin 46 arranged to engage in an arcuate slot 41 formed in the upper end of a lever it secured to a shaft 49 which extends throughout the length of the machine. The angular position of the shaft 49 and lever 48 are determined by means of a cam lever 59 which is provided at its lower end with a roll b arranged to engage during the operation of the narrowing device with a corresponding cam b on the cam shaft 21. A spring M is arranged to maintain the lever 50 and roll b in contact with its cam I). These parts similar in their construction and operation to those described for controlling the position of the points 32, and are arranged for the normal position of the control lever 58 illustrated in Fig. 1, to impart an arcuate movement to the points about the pivotof the links 8 on which the narrowing machine is supported. The cam b as hereinafter more fully pointed out, is designed to impart a rocking movement to the shaft 59 and lever 48 at a predeterminedpoint in the cycle of operation of the narrow machine, to rock the picot rod 15 and move the loop lifting points l8 rearwardly out of engagement with the points 32, so that the points l8 may be racked lengthwise of the needle series, and thereafter to advance them into engaging contact with the next adjacent needles.

While with the construction set forth in the drawings the control lever 59 is controlled in a single position by the operation of the roll 0 to maintain a constant angular position of the point control rod 29 with relation to the narrowing machine frame, it will readily be seen that this mechanism could be adapted to provide a forward and back movement of the points 32, and thus permit a modification of the movements now imimparted to the loop lifting points l8 and 32 by means of a shifting cam disk 54 (see Figs. 3, 4 and 5) loosely mounted to turn on the narrowing machine rod 1, and provided on one face thereof with two surface cams 55 an d 56 arranged to engage with the ends respectively of the bars 29 and I 5 which areheld yieldingly in engagement with the cam by spring means of ordinary description not here shown. The camdi'sk 54 is actuated in timed relation to the operation of the narrowing machine to produce the required positioning movements of the points lengthwise of the needle series by means of a ratchet 51 formed on the periphery of the disk 5t. and a pawl 58 arranged to engage therewith and supported on a short arm 59 pivoted to the shaft 8. Movement is imparted to the pawl to give a step-by-step advance to the disk 54 through connections which include a link 60 connected at one end to the pawl arm 59 and at its other end to the-upwardly extending arm of a cam lever 5| pivoted on the shaft 9, and at its lower end provided'with a cam roll d which is arranged during the narrowing operation to rideon a corresponding cam 12' on the cam shaft 21. During the normal operation of the machine, the roll, d rides on an idler cam adjacent to the cam 11', being transferred to the cam d by the endwise shifting of the cam shaft to throw the narrowing machine into operation. A spring 62 is connected to the lower .end of the cam lever 6i, and tends to maintain the roll (1 at all times in engagement with its cam.

Figs. 11 to 16 inclusive of the drawings, illustrate a preferred form of loop lifting point which is particularly adapted for use in carrying out the present invention, although it may be applied to advantage in knitting machines generally for lifting and transferring loops from the needles, The ordinary point or loop lifting implement commonly used on cotton machines which is formed of a round piece of wire with a butt oifset at approximately right-angles to the shanks, and with the lower or needle engaging portion milled or die-struck to form a groove for engaging the needle, has certain imperfections which while not greatly interfering with its practical use in present day machines, become of great importance when the implement is utilized in connection with the mechanism herein disclosed for registering accurately two sets of points with each other and with the needles.

While the art of milling, striking, coin stamping or otherwise forming the groove of-these points has been developed to a remarkable degree of accuracy, it is nevertheless difllcult to assure that the grooves are absolutely central with the outer portion of the shank of the points. It is also impractical to have the groove of nearly the point width, for by so doing the edges of the groove break down and present rough surfaces against which the yarn of the loops .will later be cut or. otherwise disturbed.

The present method of mounting points in their supports is to drill small holes in the supports. in-

which the butts of the points are placed. The drilling of these holes is expensive, due to their extremely small diameter, and in many cases results in the running off or disalignment of the drill, so that when a point is later inserted in this out-of-square hole, the point is twisted, which makes it diflicult for later alignment with any needle with which it later may be associated.

'Also in the bending of the butt of the point, it

sometimes happens that the bending is not parallel to the point groove which will cause the point to be twisted when it is inserted in its support.

The new point is produced from thin, flat stock which insures the groove being the full width of the point (less the wall thickness), the width being held very accurately due to the use of fiat stock. Further, the inside of the groove will, by the very nature of the method of production, be smooth.

Instead of drilling holes in the point support,-

the new invention contemplates bending a part of the stock of which the point is made at right angles to the shank and entering this bent portion into a groove cut into the point support at right angles to the point grooves. To hold this new point from turning, the upper shank of the point, instead of being formed in the ordinary U section will be formed V shaped, so that this portion of the shank will fit into the V grooves ordinarily cut into the point supporting member.

As shown in Figs. 11 to 16 inclusive, the point support or bar is indicated at 64, and is provided with anarrow slot 66 running lengthwise of the support to receive the offset butts 61 of the points, and V-shaped grooves 68 to receive the correspondingly V-shaped shank portions 69 of the points. The points are clamped in position in the support by means of a cover plate 10 and clamping screw 72; The needle engaging portion of the point indicated at M is bent or molded into a semi-circular shape (as shown in Fig. 16), so that the pointswill fit snugly about the needles,

and may be placed one within another as shownin Fig. 7 to take up the least possible amount of space and permit the needle loop to be readily cast off from the needle onto the point.

lows:

As is customary in the present cotton machine construction, and as/previously explained, the new point bar can be swung from its ldle position into the position shown in Fig. 1, the regular picot bar I! having previously been swung into its active position so that the narrower po nt 32. due to the end control mechanism of the rods l5 and 29, can be al gned and buried in the picot points as shown in Figs. 1 and 6, the spring plungers l9 and 34 effectively holding the points in this position, with the pins 46 and 38 holding the points in this relationship during the downward movement of the narrowing machine from the position shown in Fig. 1.

The points so locked into eachother now move downward as in the present well-known looplifting movement and engage with their respective needles as shownin Fig. 8, and when so engaged move downward with the needles until the needles. with which the points are associated. cast off their loops onto the points. after which the points and needles move upwardly until the ends of the points are above the knockover bits. all of.these movements being thefi ame as is customary in anv loop-lifting. operation in fullfashioned machines. Thereafter. the points lg move away from the po nts 32. stretching their loops'as shown in F g. 9. this movement being suiflcient to then permit the points Hi to move In operation, the mechanism functions as foloperation, which may take place on the same needles or adjoining needles, and due to the endwise shiftability of the rods i and 29, may be either to the right or to the left depending on the contours of the face cams 55 and 56, thereby,

making it possible to produce a great variety of fabric structures and all of the structures shown in the copending fabric application above referred to.

\ Assuming that the machine has finished a plain course of fabric, and it is desired to transpose the loops of this course; the cam shaft shifts, when the roller a of the narrowing machine reaches the position a, Fig. 3, thereby aligning the narrowing machine rollers a with their cams a, as well as aligning the d cam with its roller d and the b' cam with its roller b, the d roller being part of the ratchet mechanism, while the b roller controls the movement of the lever 48.

'We will assume that prior to the shift,-the

thick and thin points are in line with each other and aligned with needles K, Fig. 8, the pointbar rods 29 and I5 being against their shifting cams, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

Continued rotation of the cam shaft willlower the narrowing machine, the thick and thin points simultaneously engaging with their needles, as

shown in Fig. 8; The narrowing machine con-. tinues downward and then: upward until the roller a reaches the A-posltion of its cam, Fig. 3, which is at the time the points are clear of the knockover bits, ready to be shifted. All shifting must take place between A and A, Fig. 3, as between these points the narrowing cam is radial and holds the narrowing machine with the points just above the knockover bits. Y

At the time the narrowing machine roller a.-

is opposite the A portion of its cam, the b roller which controls the shaft 49 with its levers E8, is opposite its Bi position. As the cam shaft now continues to rotate, the roller b moving down the decline of its cam to B2, moves the levers t8 in a direction toward the left, Fig. l, and as these levers controLthe levers 45, the large points If; will be caused to move away from the narrowing points 32 as shown in Fig. 9 and dotted lines in Fig. 6, the points remaining in this separated position while the cam shaft moves from. 132 to B3. It is while the points areso separated that the roller d in moving to the position D3 of the cam shaft rides up its cam incline and thereby causes a. racking. of the drum, a shifting of the rod i5 one index to the right, as shown in Fig. 5, and the aligning of the wide points ill with the needles Y, Fig. 8. The movement of the rods in relation to the camis from I to 2 (Fig. 5), the rod 29 not being shifted.

At the end of this shifting movement of the rods l5 and 29, with the d roller on the top of its D3 rises, the roller b is on the low portion of its cam at E3, the points It being away from the needles as shown in Fig. 9, but shifted from the X to the Y needles. Upon further rotation of the cam shaft the b roller will rise up its incline at B3 and thereby move the points l8 toward the needles, as shown in Fig. 10. By this time, the narrowing machine roller a has reached the A position, so that immediately thereafter the narrowing machine goes down, followed by an up movement.

When the narrowing machine rollers a reach the :0 position, at which time the end of the points are again just above the knockover bits and can therefore be shifted sideways, therollers'b are at the B4 position, continued movement of the cam shaft causing these rollers to move down their cam decline and in this manner move the points are so'separated, the roller (1 rises up its D5 incline, thereby racking the shifting mecha- 'nism for the rods l5 and 29, moving these rods into their position 3, Fig. 5. The rod 29 which controls the points 32, moves to the left, so that these points will in the next' loop shifting movement contact with Y instead of Xneedles, while the rod i5 moves to the left two indexes, thereby causing the respective points l8 to align with their points 32, both points being in line with each other as shown in Fig. 9, only being aligned with Y needles instead of X needles.

Continued rotation of'the cam shaft past the B5 position will cause the b rollers to lock the points together, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, ready I for the next loop shifting movement. The just described in and out and sidewise movement of the points has taken place between the z and the a: position marked on the narrowing cam, Fig. 3.

The cam shaft is shifted endwise again at the :r."

with a series of needles and their cooperating knitting elements, of a cam shaft for the machine, a narrowing machine frame actuated from said cam shaft to move toward and away from the needles in a line substantially lengthwise of the needles, a series of loop lifting points, a support for said points pivotally mounted on the frame, and a stationary guiding member, said support and guiding member having cooperating cam and follower surfaces for determining the angular position of said support and points mounted thereon during the movement of said frame. 2. In a flat knitting machine, the combination with a series of needles and their cooperating knitting elements, of a narrowing machine frame movable toward and away from the needles in a line substantially lengthwise of the needles, a series of loop lifting points, a support for said points pivotally mounted on the frame, a guiding member arranged to turn about a stationary pivot, said support and guiding member having cooperating cam and follower surfaces for determining the angular position of said support and points mounted thereon during the move movable toward and away from the needles in a about a stationary pivot, a plurality of loop engaging point holders pivotally supported thereon, downwardly extending arms connected to swing with said holders about their pivotal mounting on the narrowing frame, cooperating upwardly Y extending guide levers pivoted on a fixed portion of the machine frame, cam and follower surfaces formed respectively on each of said arms and cooperating guide levers to control the forward and back position of the points during up and down movements thereoftwith the frame, and means for controllingthe angular position of said guide levers including means for moving one of said guide leversto vary the forward and back position of thepoints controlled thereby with relation to the needles.

5. In a flat knitting machine having a series of needles and cooperating knitting elements, a loop engaging point holder, a frame on which said holder is pivotally mounted, said frame having a pivotal mounting'to permit movement of the holder toward and away from the needles longitudinally of the needle shanks, a lever arm connected to swing with the holder about its pivot, and an upwardly extending guide lever supported on a fixed portion of the machine and having a guiding groove arranged for engagement with a follower surface on said lever arm to control the forward and back position of the. holder during up and down movements of the frame.

6. ma flat knitting machine having a series of needles and cooperating knitting elements, a loop engaging point holder, a frame on which said holder is pivotally mounted, said frame having a pivotal mounting to permit movement of the holder toward and away from the needles longitudinally of theneedle shanks, a lever arm connected to swing with the holder about its pivot, an upwardly extending guide lever supported on a fixed portion of the machine and hating a guiding groove arranged for engagement with a follower on said lever arm to control the forward-and-back position of the holder during upand-down movements of the frame, and means for moving the guide lever about its pivot to vary the forward and back position of the points with relation to the needles.

7. In a flat knitting machine having a series of needles and cooperating knitting elements, a loop engaging point holder, a frame comprising a rock shaft on which said holder is supported and in turn supported to move about a fixed pivot to raise and lower the holder with relation to the needles, a downwardly extending lever secured to the rock shaft, an upwardly extending guide lever pivotally supported on a stationary portion of the machine, said lever arm and guide lever having cooperating cam and follower surfaces to control the forward and back position of the holder and points during vertical movements thereof with the frame, and means for maintaining said holder yieldingly in one of two alternate operative and inoperative positions on said rock shaft.

MAX C. MILLER.

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