US2162024A - Knitting machine - Google Patents

Description

June 13, 1939. R K. M|| s l 2,162,024

KNI TT ING MACHINE Filed Nov. 26, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet l `lune 13, 1939.

R. K. MILLSl A 2,162,024;;-: y

KNITTING MACHINE Filed NOV. 26, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2" I A Hl E Rlilills,

Patented June 13, 1939 2,162,024'lli PATENT OFFICE KNITTNG MACHINE Robertv Kirkland Mills, Sherwood, Nottingham,

England, assignor to Wrightwear Limited, Sut- Vton-in-Asheld, Nottinghamshire, England Application November 26, 1937, Serial N o. 176,747

In `Great Britain November 27, 1936 3 Claims.

This invention comprises improvements in or relating toknitting machines and is particularly, although not exclusively, applicable to circular knitting machines of the multi-feeder type. In multi-feeder circular machines there is commonly employed automatic stop mechanism adapted to be brought into operation by the displacement of pivoted dropper elements co-operating with individual threads supplied to the needles; these droppers are normally supported in a raised position by the threads and the breakage of a thread or the exhaustion of a thread supply causes the dropper appertaining to said thread to fall and to bring into operation a device or mechanism for stopping the machine. In such automatic stop'mechanism the falling movement of a dropper, in addition to bringing the machine to rest, also brings into operation a device which causes all of the several droppers in the machine to spring or rise toa substantially vertical inoperative position, that is to say to a position beyond the normal inclined operative position, the droppers being again brought into operation when the machine is restarted.

No'w it has been found that when working with silk, art silk and similar yarns of a smooth or glossy nature on a machine employing droppers as above-described, the disadvantage exists that When the machine is stopped at any time by hand in the normal Working operation, the droppers suspended on the threads gradually fall until on-e or more of same reaches the position at which the catch mechanism is operated to raise all of the droppers to the vertical inoperative position, and when this occurs the thread Which has been drawn from the supply by the falling droppers hangs loosely about the raised droppers and becomes ravelled. Ihe reason Why the droppers gradually move down of their own accord when the machine is stopped is that the glossy or slippery surface of the silk or art silk yarn, or yarn having similar characteristics, oifers a minimum of friction-al resistance to draw-off, and the weight ofthe droppers is sufficient to overcome this resistance. When'working with yarn of a less smooth or slippery nature, e. g., Wool or cotton, the possibility of the droppers falling of their own accord when the machine is at rest is minimised or eliminated.` If, in an. endeavour tov overcome the above disadvantage, lighter droppers-are employed, such droppers although effective VWhen working with compartively smooth or slippery yarn such as art silk, -would beineffective when Working With the rougher yarn such as cottonorwo'ol: f

(Cl. Gti-158) An important object of the presentv invention, therefore, resides in the provision of meansv whereby droppers of uniform weight can'be Yern-H ployed with equal eiiciency for use with all classes of yarn of any count. The invention is, however, particularly applicable to stop mechanism of the f type comprising at least one movable thread-engaging feeler or dropper whichr moves upon breakf age of the thread or failure of the thread supply to bring into operation the device or mechanism for stopping the machine. VThis stop mechanism is hereinafter referred to as stop mechanism 'of the type specified, and according to the present invention there is provided, in or for'aknitting machine, stop mechanism' of the type specified; characterized by means operatingautomatically upon stoppage of the machine to preventmovejment of said feeler or dropper, and/or to prevent further withdrawal of thread,'until lthe machinel has again started. As will readily be appreciated from the foregoing discussion of the disadvan-` tages at present inherent in stop mechanism, the said means preferably operates automatically upon manual stoppage of the machine, andthe mechanism embodies a plurality of droppersA and means whereby the descent ofA any dropper, in ad; ditionto stopping the machine,` causes the 'drope per to rise to a high position,

This invention also provides, in or for amulti'fjY feeder circular machine, the combination "with stop mechanism comprising a movable'thread-en gaging feeler for each feed, eachof which feel'ers" is normally positioned by the thread that'it engages and is movable, upon breakage of the thread or upon failure of the thread supply, to stop" the machine automatically, of control means for stopping and starting the machine manually, and means, interconnected with said control means, for restraining the feelers from movement when the machine is stopped manually and for'releas-VVV ing them when the machine is again started. Preferably, means areprovided for ensuring that a slight delay or lag occurs between the starting" of the machine andthe release of the feeler or dropper or of each of them in the casev of a mul- For this purpose there Ais ti-feeder machine. preferably a control member which is movable from a stopping position to a starting position' and 1 is also capable of additional movement afterthat. necessary to start the machine, and means wheres, by said Aadditional movement serves to .free'ith'e feeler-or dropper. Y

In order that the. invention may., be better:v understood V"referencewill now be madetotzthez:Av

accompanying; drawings,v in; which:V

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the superstructure of a multi-feeder circular knitting machine equipped with stop mechanism according to this invention;

Figure 2 is a plan thereof; while Figure 3 is a View of a portion of the mechanism looking in the direction of the arrow 3 in Fig. 1. Y

Each thread T, from the supplyY cones or the like mounted in the customary manner above the machine, is guided in its passage to the needles (not shown) through eyes IIl or their equivalent. In its passage between certainv of the eyes the thread runs through the ring of `a dropper which has a rod I2 extending radiallyinwards towards the centre of the machine and suitably pivoted in the bracket I3. As will readily be understood the tension of the thread running through the dropper ring when the machine is knitting keeps the dropper in a raised position. When that tension is relaxed, however, the dropper falls, pivoting about the axis of the rod I2. V`

At each feed in a multi-feeder machine there is mechanism identical with that described. The various rods I2 at theirinner ends pass into a Stop box |4 containing stop mechanism of any known or approved kind. This stop mechanism is so constructed that the part-rotary movement of any rod I2 consequent upon the fall of a dropper releases with a sharp movement a trip member here illustrated as a vertical pivoted rod l5, and also causes all the droppers to rise to a high, inoperative, position. When the rod |5 makes an abrupt turning movement an outward movement is communicated to the radial rod I6 which rotates a small Vcatch I1. The latter is therefore released from engagement with the end |8 of a trip lever which is associated with a lever I9 pivoted at 20 and is springbiased in a clockwise direction Vabout its pivot. The outer end of said lever I9 co-operates with a ramp or incline 2| on a lever 22 pivoted at 23, with the result that ythe end of the lever- 22 formed with the ramp 2| is depressed and the other end raised. This causes saidother end to disengage from a suitable recess in a catch bar 24 and permits a lever 25 to move under thev influence of a spring indicated at 26 to stop the machine. Said lever 25 may control a belt shifter, a clutch or any other suitable machinestopping device. By way of example it is illustrated as controlling a dog clutch 21.

In addition to its automatic operation as just describedV the said lever 25 may be moved manually to vbring the machine to a standstill, and according to this invention means are incorporated whereby such manual movement of the lever 25 also prevents each dropper from falling. The cause of the tendency to fall exhibited by the droppers after the machine has been stopped manually and the consequence thereof is fhereinbefore explained.

Yma

75;.mounted and is drawnrby aftension spring 39 cam member 34 is drawn inwards by spring 35 the pin ring 38 is moved in a clockwise direction. This pin ring is equipped with radial projecting pins 43, one for each dropper, and by this movement each pin isV displaced (from the position shown in chain-dotted lines in Fig. 3 to that shown in full lines) to preevnt the associated dropper 'from falling.

When the lever 25 is moved to start the ma.- chine the cam member 34 is drawn outwards and the pins such as 43 are therefore moved away from the droppers which are then free to operate in response to breakage of the thread or failure of the supply thereof.

Means are provided, however, for ensuring that movement of the pin ring 38 to release the droppers does not take place until shortly after the machine has commenced to knit.v As a result the machine makes a few/revolutions and knits up the slack in the threads before` the droppers are freed, and when the latter are freed they are supported by the tensioned threadv that is travelling to the needles. To achieve this object in the construction illustrated the clutch 21 and the ramp 28 are so arranged that, as is readily discernible from Fig. 1, the ramp 28 does not rock the lever 30 until after the clutch has engaged.

I claim:

1. In a circular knitting machine having manually operable control means for starting and stopping the same, and automatic stop mechanism of the type specified, including a movable thread feeler arrangedupon thread breakage or failure of the thread supply to actuate said mechanism to automatically stop the machine, the combination of an arcuately 'movable ring prcvided with a projection arranged tobe moved K into and out of engagement with said feeler; means operable by said control means arranged to induce movement of said ring, when the machine is stopped by hand, to cause its projection to engage the feeler and thereby prevent the latter from actuating said automatic stop mechanism, said means also functioning to induce movement of the ring to disengage the projection from the feeler when the machine is manually re-started through said control means; and means for delaying said disengagement of the projection from the feeler until the machine is in motion.

2. A machine according to claim l, whereinvk the manual control embodies a member which is movable from a machine-starting to a machinestopping position, and also has an additional movement beyond that necessary to start the machine; and means whereby the freeing of the thread feeler from engagement with the projection on the movable ring is effected by said additional movement so that a slight delay or lag is obtained between the starting of the ma.- chine and the release of the feeler.

3. A circular knitting machine according to claim 1, embodying a plurality of thread feeds and having a thread feeler associated with each feed; and a projection on' the movable ring for engaging with each feeler. Y

ROBERT MILLS. ,Y

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