US2721460A - Knitting machine - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 25, 1955 2,721,460

V. LOMBARDI KNITTING MACHINE Filed April 25, 1952 7 Sheets-Sheet- 1 Fig.

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l incem Lombardi United States Patent KNITTING MACHINE Vincent Lombardi, Miami, Fla.

Application April 25, 1952, Serial No. 284,313

26 Claims. (Cl. 66-50) This invention relates to knitting machines and to correlated inventions and discoveries appertaining thereto.

In embodying wrap yarns into a knitted fabric by wrap fingers which first swing in one direction past a multiplicity of needles to feed yarn thereto and then swing in the opposite direction past these needles to feed yarn thereto, the knitting of the yarn fed by the forward swing of the wrap-feed is relatively easily performed by an ordinary knitting cam, but the knitting of the yarn fed to the needles by the return swing of the wrap feed is beset with difficulties whenever the yarn is to be knit by a considerable number of needles. This is because, if an ordinary stitch cam is employed, the needle nearest the yarn feed will knit first, and, once the yarn has been knit into the fabric at this point, the yarn can no longer be pulled out freely from the yarn feed for the knitting of loops by successive needles. It is accordingly important that the retractive or stitch portion of the knitting wave for this yarn progress in the opposite direction to the retractive knitting wave for the forward or advance swing of the wrap feed, and in a direction opposite to that of the normal knitting waves.

I have heretofore proposed the provision of means providing certain solutions of these difliculties, but there are many situations wherein demands for simplicity, compactness, and positiveness of operation require a special type of mechanism, and it is to the provision of such mechanism that the present invention is directed.

With the foregoing and other considerations in view, the present invention contemplates the provision of simple and efiective means for imparting a retractive halfwave to knitting elements (e. g. needles, jacks, or sinkers), which half-wave moves in an opposite direction to the normal waves, and, in the more specific aspects of the invention, moving in a direction opposite to that half-wave whereby the needles are advanced to receive yarn for retraction. As exemplified, the invention provides camming means retractively sloped in the direction of the return movement of the wrap fingers and arranged to be moved generally perpendicularly to the line of relative movement of the needle or sinker bed and the normal camming means therefore to impart movement to the knitting elements one after another counting in said direction of return movement (i. e. a direction opposite to the order of action of the normal cams on the knitting elements). Such cammingmeans may be spaced along the needle cylinder or other bed similarly to the wrap fingers and arranged to be operative directly after the return movement of the wrap fingers.

While the invention is exemplified in connection with a stationary cylinder machine as comprising retractive cam means moving in the opposite direction to a rotating cam ring, it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited thereto and that it is capable of embodiment in a wide variety of types of knitting machines regardless of whether it is a cam ring or a cylinder or dial that rotates.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of 2,721,460 Patented Oct. 25, 1955 construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts, which will be exemplified in the constructions hereinafter set forth and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view thru one side of the needle cylinder of a machine embodying one form of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a top view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side view of a portion of the mechanism shown in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a top view of the sinker bed of a machine embodying another form of the invention;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view along the lines 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a schematic view looking down on the sinker jack with the width of the slot and the jack exaggerated;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary showing of an alternative form of pusher cam;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view along the line 8-8 of Fig. 4;

Figs. 9, 10, 11, 12 are views similar to Fig. 5 showing the parts in other positions; and

Fig. 13 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing another form of machine embodying the invention.

Fig. 14 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 1 showing a modification;

Fig. 15 is a fragmentary top view thereof.

Fig. 16 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 1 showing another modification.

Fig. 17 is a similar view showing still another modification; and

Fig. 18 is a similar view showing a further modification.

' In the form of construction exemplified in Figs. 1 and 2, there is provided a needle cylinder 5 formed with slots 6 in which there are slidably mounted needles 7 formed in the present instance with latches 8. Needle actuating means including earns 10 operative on butts 11 are carried on a cam ring 12. The cylinder 5 and the cam ring 12 are mounted for relative rotative movement. In the present instance the cylinder is stationary and the cam ring movable, but the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to arrangements wherein a particular one of these members is the member which actually moves.

. Yarn-feeding means including, in the present instance, a main yarn feed 15 and wrap feeds 16 are provided. The wrap feeds are arranged to be operated, as by mechanisms such as shown in my Patent 2,373,126, to be swung from the position shown in full lines inside the cylinder, outwardly across the line of needles, past a group of needles, and back across the line of needles in a forward direction (i. e. the direction of movement of the cam ring in the present instance) to feed yarn to selected ones of the needles which may have been elevated prior to the swing of the wrap feed; and thereafter to be swung in a reverse direction over the same course to feed yarn to all or selected ones of the needles of said group. Mechanism such as exemplified in my Patents 2,231,672, 2,231,673, 2,373,126, 1,797,006, or my application Serial No. 82,460, filed March 19, 1949, now Patent No. 2,626,513 may be employed for selecting the needles for advancement prior to a swing of the wrap feed in a for ward direction and again prior to a swing of the wrap feed in a forward direction and again prior to the swing of the wrap feed in the reverse direction, and the selected needles may be advanced at these times by advancing cams carried on the cam ring 12. Cams such as shown at 10 may be employed to retract the needles after the wing of the wrap feed in the forward direction. In order, however,

to retract the needles one by one, counting in a reverse direction, means such as contemplated by the present invention are provided. In addition to the butts 11, the needles in the present instance are formed with butts 18 in connection with each of which there is provided an arm 20 pivoted on one of a series of shafts 21 which extend about the machine tangentially to a circle concentric with the needle cylinder. When a needle is raised, the inner end 22 of its pivoted arm 20 is raised by the butt 18 of the needle and the arm swung in a counter-clockwise direction (Fig. 1). In order to lower the ends 22 there is provided a cam wheel 25 comprising a shaft 26 carrying individual sector-like cams 27 for the arms 20. The operative surfaces of the earns 27 are tangent to a spiral, the nearest cam (Fig. 1) having the lowest surface, so that the cams, as the Wheel 25 rotates in a clockwise direction, instead of operating first on the more remote of the needles and then on the nearer of the needles in the manner of cam 10, will operate first on the nearer needles and later on the more remote needles one by one to set up a half-wave which moves in a direction which the reverse of the direction of the movement of the half-wave set up by the cam 10. As the wheel 25 rotates in a clockwise direction, the tip 28 of the nearest cam will operate on the nearest of the arms 20 to retract the nearest needle 7, and thereafter the point 28 of the next cam will contact the next arm to retract the next needle so that several needles will be undergoing retraction simultaneously with the nearest of these needles further retracted than the more remote of them, and that the retraction of the nearest needle will be complete long before the retraction of the most remote of these needles occurs. In this way the yarn will first be retracted by the needle of the group which is furthest from the point where the wrap feed last crossed the line of needles, so that the needles which are closest to this point will not interfere with the free flow of yarn to the needles being retracted as would be the case if a cam such as the cam 10 had been used in the retraction of the needles.

In order to rotate the cam wheel 25 in a clockwise direction (Fig. 1) there is provided in the present instance a pawl 34) operating on a ratchet 31 on the wheel 25. The pawl is carried from an arm 32 to which a reciprocal movement against the tension of a spring 35 is imparted by the movement of a cam on roller 36 along a serrated lower surface 37 of a plate 38 traveling with the cam ring.

Mechanisms such as contemplated by the invention may be used to operate sinkers either in a machine wherein the needles are operated as above described or in a machine in which they are operated in the usual manner. In the present instance sinkers 40 are provided in the slots 41 of a sinker bed 42. These sinkers are provided with butts 43 adapted to be operated, prior to a swing of a wrap feed in either direction and after the swing of the wrap feed in a forward direction, by cams, one of which is exemplified at 44, which are carried by a sinker cam ring 45. In order to act on the sinkers in a reverse direction to set up a half wave moving reversely to the normal forward waves and half-waves imparted to the sinkers, there is provided in the present instance an arrangement including sinker jacks 46 lying in the slots 41 and arranged for both sliding and rocking movement. On the sinker cam ring there is mounted a jack-positioning cam 47 having a raising surface 48.

The jacks will move outwardly with their respective sinkers. In order to move the jacks and the sinkers inwardly, pusher earns 50 are carried on the sinker bed. Some of them have long butts 51 and some have short butts 52. In order to move the long-butt pusher cams inwardly, there are provided on the sinker cam ring highlevel operating cams 53, and, in order to move the shortbutt pusher cams inwardly, the cams 53 are followed by low-level operating earns 54. Low-level operating cams 55 are provided for moving all the pusher cams outwardly.

The pusher cams are mounted for sliding movement by means of studs 56 mounted on the sinker bed and extending thru slots 57 in the cams. The pusher earns 50 are formed with surfaces 58 which slant in a direction away from the direction of movement of the sinker cam ring, so that, as they are moved inward by the traveling earns 53 and 54, they will contact the sinker jacks in a reverse order from a cam moving on the sinker cam ring, contacting first the nearest (Fig. 5) jack of a group and then the jack beyond it so that the jack and sinkers will be advanced, as shown in Fig. 10, in a reverse order from the normal advancement of the sinkers, with only a few sinkers being moved inward at any moment, to prevent undue binding of the yarn. By means of mechanism such as described below, the forward movement of the jacks is terminated at a point such that all the jacks contacted by a pusher cam 50 will be advanced an equal amount whether first contacted by the inward portion of a surface 58 or later contacted by an outward portion thereof. This mechanism comprises a cam surface 59 on the jacks and a complementary cam member 60 carried, in the present instance, on the sinker bed inwardly thereof a distance equal to the distance of travel of the sinkers. As soon as surface 59 of a jack contacts the cam member 60, the jack will be rocked downwardly out of the path of the pusher cam 50 so that its continuing movement will no longer affect that jack.

As will be seen, alternate cams 50 will be thrust forward to operative position where they will move the jacks inwardly as the cams 53 rotate with the sinker cam ring, and after they have operated on half of a group of jacks (in the present instance the group corresponds substantially to the extent of a wrap feed swing) the intermediate cams 50 will be thrust forward by the cams 54 to complete the reverse operation of the sinkers of the group. In this manner, a uniform operation of all the jacks in a reverse direction is assured.

As will be seen in Fig. 6, the jacks 46 are bowed slightly so as to be frictionally held in whatever position they are moved to within the slot 41, to counteract a push by the yarn thru the sinkers.

In the operation of the machine, after the needles have been retracted to the position of Fig. 9, the jacks 46 will be raised by the positioning cam 47 to the position shown in Fig. 9, whereupon a cam 50 can thrust them inwardly as shown in Fig. 10, the sinkers being carried inwardly with the jacks.

If desired, the pusher cams may be formed with stepped instead of diagonal operative surfaces, as shown on the cam 50a of Fig. 7.

In Fig. 13 there is shown an arrangement wherein pusher cams of the character shown in Figs. 4-12 are used for the operation of the needles. In this figure the various parts already described are indicated by similar reference numbers distinguished by the letter b. The sinkers 40b are operated by a standard cam groove 61 in the sinker cam ring 45b, and the jacks 46b operate on vertically extending arms 64 of bell crank levers 65 which are pivoted at 66, and the arms 67 of which are positioned to depress butts 18 on needles 7b. The operation of the jacks 46b is in all respects similar to the operation of the jacks 46, and the operation of the arms 67 on the needles 7b is in all respects similar to the operation of the arms 20 on the needles 7.

Among the objects of the invention is the provision of improved pattern drum constructions. As will be seen from Fig. 1, the shaft 26 is formed with a groove 68 and each cam plate 27 is formed with a mating protuberance 69. The groove 68 extends spirally along the surface of the shaft as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2, so that the cam plates 27 can be slid on the shaft one-byone and be brought automatically into position as they move along the shaft.

In many instances it is desirable that the amount of movement imparted to the knitting elements by a camming element such as shown at 25 in Fig. 1 be varied from time to time. For instance, it is sometimes desirable that the needles knit longer loops at one time than at another or that the sinkers draw longer sinker loops at one time than at another. With such considerations in view, there is exemplified in Figs. 14 and 15 an arrangement whereby a camming element 25 as exemplified in Figs. 1 and 2 may be made to operate to a greater or less extent on pivoted arms to impart greater or less retractive movements to knitting elements such as the needles 7. As exemplified, the shaft 26 of the camming element is mounted on brackets 70 which are themselves pivotally mounted at 71 pursuant to the setting of a set-screw 72 on one of the brackets. The set-screw extends into a slot 73 in a scale 74 traversed by a pointer 74' on the bracket. When the brackets 70 have been swung to raise the shaft 26, the cam plates 27 will depress the arms 20 and retract the needles 7 a lesser amount; and, when the brackets 70 have been swung to lower the shaft 26, the camming plates 27 will depress the arms 20 and retract the needles 7 a greater amount.

In certain instances it may be desirable to provide a camming drum which will move one knitting element a different distance from the amount that another knitting element is moved. One arrangement adapted to effect this result is exemplified in Fig. 16 wherein a camming element 25e has mounted thereon cam plates 27:: certain spaced ones of which have cam portions 75 similar to the cam portions of the cam plates 27, and others of which have cam portions 75e which are somewhat shorter so as to have a lesser retractive action upon the needles.

In certain instances it is desirable that a single camming element be utilized to actuate knitting elements (e. g. to retract the same) one-after-another counting in one (e. g. forward) direction and thereafter to actuate the same knitting elements one-after-another counting in the other (e. g. return) direction. In Fig. 17 there is exemplified an arrangement comprising a camming drum 25f having a shaft 26 on which are mounted camming plates 27 The plates 27f have camming portions 75 arranged similarly to the camming portions on the plates 27 and operative similarly on arms 20 to exert a retractive action on the butts 18 of needles 7 in a reverse order. The cam plates 27 have, in the present instance, cam portions 76 which act upon the arms 20 prior to the operation of the cam portions 75 in each rotation (as shown in Fig. 17 they have already acted) in a normal (forward) order. Thus, as the camming member 25 rotates, the cam portion 76 of the cam plate at the rear of the figure will operate on its pivoted arm 20. The one next to the rear will then act, and so on until the one in the front of the figure has acted, so as to retract the needles one-by-one counting in a forward direction, asfor knitting the yarn fed by a forward swing of the wrap feed. There will thereupon ensue a space wherein none of the cam plates is acting, during which the needles or selected ones thereof may be advanced. Thereupon the cam portion 75] of the cam plate which is at the front of the figure will act on its pivoted arm 20, then the one behind it will act on its arm, and so on until the one at the rear of the figure has acted, so that the operation will be performed in a reverse order as for knitting yarn fed to the needles by the return movement of a yarn feed.

In Fig. 18 there is shown a similar arrangement wherein the camming member 25g is arranged to operate on a greater number of pivoted arms 20, but wherein less space is allowed between a forward and a return operation. In this case, the pivoted arms 20g are formed with humps 77 to facilitate the operation of the cam portions. Each of the cam plates is formed with a forward cam portion 76g as well as with a reverse cam portion 75g. As in the case of the construction in Fig. 17, the cam portions 75g and 76g are closest together in the cam plate at the front of the figure and furthest apart (on the basis 6 of an are extending about the bottom of the drum) in the cam plate at the rear of the figure.

Since certain changes may be made in the above construction and different embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. A circular knitting machine comprising a bed, knitting elements on said bed, wrap feeding means, means to swing said wrap feeding means in one direction, means thereafter to swing said wrap feeding means in the opposite direction, actuating means, said bed and said ac tuating means being mounted for relative rotation, means forming a unit with said actuating means in said relative movement to advance at least certain of said knitting elements one after another counting in said one direction prior to swinging movements of said wrap feeding means in said one direction and prior to swinging movements of said wrap feeding means in said opposite direction, and to retract at least certain of said knitting elements one after another counting in said one direction after an operation of said wrap feeding means in said one direction, mounting means forming a unit with said bed in said relative movement, and means for retracting at least certain of said knitting elements one after another counting in said opposite direction to participate in a knitting operation after an operation of said wrap feeding means in sad opposite direction and comprising camming means carried by said mounting means and movable generally perpendicularly to the line of said relative movement.

2. A knitting machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein said camming means comprises camming members having a reciprocable movement and wherein means forming a unit with said actuating means in said relative movement are provided for imparting such movement thereto.

3. A knitting machine as set forth in claim 1 whereinsaid camming means comprises camming elements having a rotary movement and wherein means forming a unit with said actuating means in said relative movement are provided for imparting said movement thereto.

4. A knitting machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein said knitting elements are elongated and wherein said cam means are movable in the direction of the length of said knitting elements.

5. A knitting machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein said knitting elements are elongated and wherein said cam means are movable generally perpendicularly to the direction of the length of said knitting elements.

6. A knitting machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein said camming means are movable slidably.

7. A knitting machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein said camming means are movable rotatably.

8. A knitting machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein said knitting elements are needles and said wrap feeds are arranged to feed yarn thereto.

9. A knitting machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein said knitting elements are jacks associated with needles to which said wrap feeds are arranged to feed yarn.

10. A knitting machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein said knitting elements are sinkers.

11. A knitting machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein there are also provided main yarn feeding means forming a unit with said actuating means in said relative movement.

12. A knitting machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein there are provided a plurality of the wrap feeds and a plurality of sets of camming means, and wherein each set of camming means is operable after the movement in said opposite direction of a respective one of the wrap feeds.

13. A circular knitting machine comprising a bed, knitting elements on said bed, actuating means for said knitting elements, said actuating means and said knitting elements being mounted for relative rotative movement,

yarn-feeding means, supporting means forming a unit with said bed in said relative movement, actuators individual to at least certain of said knitting elements and carried by said supporting means, a drum carried by said supporting means, spiral means on said drum for operating certain of said actuators one after another in the reverse order to that in which the knitting elements are actuated by said actuating means, and means forming part of said actuating means to rotate said drum.

14. A circular knitting machine comprising a bed, knitting elements on said bed, actuating means for said knitting elements, said actuating means and said knitting elements being mounted for relative rotative movement, yarn-feeding means, supporting means forming a unit with said bed in said relative movement, actuators individual to at least certain of said knitting elements and carried by said supporting means, a drum carried by said supporting means, spiral means on said drum for operating certain of said actuators one after another in the same order as that in which the knitting elements are operated by said actuating means, and means forming part of said actuating means to rotate said drum.

15. A circular knitting machine comprising a bed, knit ting elements on said bed, actuating means for said knitting elements, said actuating means and said knitting elements being mounted for relative rotative movement, yarn-feeding means, supporting means forming a unit with said bed in said relative movement, actuators individual to at least certain of said knitting elements and carried by said supporting means, a drum carried by said supporting means, and spiral means on said drum for operating certain of said actuators one after another in first the same order as and thereafter in the reverse order to that in which the knitting elements are operated by said actuating means.

16. A circular knitting machine comprising a bed, knitting elements on said bed, actuating means for said knitting elements, said actuating means and said knitting elements being mounted for relative rotative movement, yarn-feeding means, supporting means forming a unit with said bed in said relative movement, actuators individual to at least certain of said knitting elements and carried by said supporting means, a drum carried by said supporting means, and means for transversely shifting the axis of said drum to vary the distance of effective movement of said knitting elements.

17. A knitting machine as set forth in claim 16 wherein the knitting elements are needles and the shifting of the axis of the drum varies the length of loops knitted thereby.

18. A knitting machine as set forth in claim 16 wherein there are provided indicating means showing the amount of shift.

19. A circular knitting machine comprising a circular bed, knitting elements on said bed, actuating means for said knitting elements, said actuating means and said knitting elements being mounted for relative rotative movement, and a pattern drum connected with said bed and comprising a shaft a plurality of cam plates mounted thereon, successive ones of at least certain of said cam plates having cam portions arranged slightly behind each other in a clockwise direction as viewed from one end of the drum, and means forming part of said actuating means to rotate said drum.

20. A circular knitting machine comprising a circular bed, knitting elements on said bed, actuating means for said knitting elements, said actuating means and said knitting elements being mounted for relative rotative movement, and a pattern drum connected with said bed and comprising a shaft a plurality of cam plates mounted thereon, successive ones of at least certain of said cam plates having cam portions arranged slightly behind each other in a clockwise direction as viewed from one end of the drum and at least certain others of said cam plates having cam portions arranged slightly ahead of each other in a clockwise direction as viewed from said end of the drum, and means forming part of said actuating means to rotate said drum.

21. A knitting machine as set forth in claim 19 wherein the shaft is formed with a spiral path and wherein the interior of said plates are shaped so as to be guided by said path as they are slid over said shaft one after another.

22. A knitting machine as set forth in claim 19 wherein said drum comprises a shaft on which a plurality of plates are mounted and wherein successive ones of at least certain of said plates have cam portions arranged slightly behind each other in the direction of drum rotation as viewed from said end of the drum.

23. A knitting machine as set forth in claim 19 Wherein said drum comprises a shaft on which a plurality of are mounted and wherein successive ones of at least certain of said plates have cam portions arranged slightly ahead of each other in the direction of drum r0- tatie-n as viewed from said end of the drum.

24. A circular knitting machine comprising a series of knitting elements, means for individually actuating said knitting elements, said means comprising a drum having a plurality of actuating cam portions individual to said knitting elements, certain spaced ones of said cam portions having a greater elfective extent than other spaced ones of said cam portions whereby certain of said knitting elements are moved a greater distance than other of said knittin elements.

25. A knitting machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein, said camming means is arranged to retract certain spaced ones of said knitting elements a greater distance than other spaced ones of said knitting elements.

26. A circular knitting machine comprising a row of needles, a wrap-feed arranged to feed yarn to a group of said needles first in one direction and then in the other direction, means to advance at least a multiplicity of the needles of said group for reception of yarn as it is fed in said one direction, means to retract the advanced needles one after another counting in said one direction to knit the yarn thus fed in said one direction, means to advance at least a multiplicity of the needles of said group to receive yarn as it is fed in said other direction, and means to retract the advanced needles one after another counting in said other direction to knit the yarn thus fed in said other direction.

References (Iited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

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