US2881604A - Circular knitting machine - Google Patents

Description

April 14, 1959 5-; B1| I 2,881,604 CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE I F1106 Sept. 28, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 2.

1 INVENTORI GIORGIO. BILL! I BY W4 April 14, 1959 G. BILLI CIRCULARKNITTING MACHINE Filed Sept. 28, 1955 mu m 2 N B M m w w k Q w M G e w 5 m N l A rt- MR WW n w m N 1W w b \b m. w O n April 14, 1959" G. BiLLl 2,881,604

CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Filed Sept. 28, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 5 FIG. 7'

ATTYS.

April 14, 1959 G. BlLL l ciRcuLAR KNITTING MACHINE INVENTORZ GIORGIO BILLI ATTYS.

5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Sept. 28, 1955 April 14, 1959 G. BlLLI CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Filed Sept. 28, 1955- 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 :utrm 2 24m INVENTOR GIORGIO BILLI SWVD MDVP BY WW ATTYS.

United States Patent 2,881,604 CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Fucecchio (Florence), Italy, assignor to Giorgio Billi,

Inc., Philadelphia, Pa., a

Fidelity Machine Company, corporation of Pennsylvania This invention relates primarily to circular hosiery machines and more particularly to certain improvements in mechanisms of the character disclosed in my co-pending United States application, Serial Number 440,492., filed June 30, 1954, now Patent No. 2,810,277.

The invention disclosed in the aforesaid application has to do with a modification of the conventional plain knit stocking fabric by a selective use of tuck stitches to confer certain desirable properties of a functional nature or of appearance, or both, and a principal object of the present invention is to provide a generally simplified, compact and functionally improved mechanism for obtaining those desired results.

A more specific object is to provide a simplified and more flexible control of the needleand jack-lifting cams by means of which the tuck stitches are produced.

Another object is to provide an improved guide system for the jacks.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

In the attached drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a circular knitting machine, comprising needleand jack-actuating devices in accordance wlth the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the portion of the machine shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary elevational view, partly in section, of the machine from the right-hand side of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view, partly in section, showing in greater detail the mechanism of the present invention;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5, Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line 66, Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view on the line 7-7, Fig. 4;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged diagrammatic layout view of the needle cylinder showing the needleand jack-elevating cams with which the present invention is more immediately concerned and showing also the improved means for guiding the jacks, and

Fig. 9 is a development of the rotary cam bank of the invention showing one relative arrangement of the several cams.

With reference to the drawings, the knitting machine therein illustrated is of automatic type adapted for production of womens hosiery. The cam ring 1 of the machine is stationary in the present instance and is rigidly secured to the top frame 2 of the machine. The needle cylinder 3 is of the rotary type and moves about a vertical axis within the cam ring 1. The sinker ring mechanism is illustrated generally at 4. In the present instance also, the machine comprises a dial 5 containing instrumentalities cooperative in known manner with the knitting needles in the cylinder 3. Like the cylinder 3, the dial 5 is of rotary type and moves about the same axis as and in synchronism with the said cylinder.

The cylinder 3 has at its lower end a bevel gear 6, through which the cylinder is actuated by conventional mechanism forming no part of the present invention. Above the bevel gear 6 and attached thereto is a spur "ice gear 7. Meshing with the gear 7 is a spur pinion 8, this pinion being carried at the lower end of a vertical shaft 9. To the upper end of this shaft is attached a bevel pinion 11 which, through a bevel gear 12, horizontal shaft 13, bevel pinion 14, bevel gear 15, and depending shaft 16, is operatively connected to and actuates the dial 5. Inasfar as described, the mechanism of the machine may be considered essentially conventional.

In accordance with the present invention, the shaft 9 is provided with a worm 21, and this worm meshes with a worm wheel 22 attached to one end of a horizontal shaft 23. This shaft carries at its other end a bevel pinion 24. The pinion 24 meshes with a bevel gear 25 and this gear is attached to the upper end of a sleeve 26 which is journalled for rotation on a pin 27 secured on a bracket 17 attached to the top frame 2 of the machine. Keyed to the sleeve 26 is a bushing 20 on which are mounted cams 28, 29, 31, 32 and 33 of a vertical unitary bank. As shown in Fig. 4, these cams are in the form of generally circular discs and have peripheral lobes and recesses hereinafter described in detail.

This unitary bank of cams, being in effect splined to the sleeve 26, is adjustable axially of the latter and is normally held in a relatively depressed position, as shown in Fig. 7, by a spring 34 which is confined between the underside of the bevel gear 25 and the upper surface of the cam unit. In this depressed position, the said unit seats upon the annular hub portion 35 of a lever 36, the said hub seating upon the bracket 17 and embracing the lower end 37 of the sleeve 26. Thus, the hub 35 and lever 36 are adjustable about the axis of the rotary cam bank unit. As illustrated in Fig. 7, the bracket 17 is provided with a plurality of apertures 39 for reception in their upper ends of bosses 41 which project downwardly from the underside of the hub 35. When, as shown in Fig. 7, these bosses occupy the upper ends of the apertures 39, the hub 35 is in relatively depressed position; but when the lever 36 is moved through an angle sufficient to displace the bosses 41 from the apertures 39, the hub 35 will be elevated and will shift the cam unit upwardly in axial direction to an extent corresponding to the effective height of the bosses. The lever 36 may be operated from a pattern drum 76, hereinafter referred to, as shown in Fig. 2.

Secured to and extending upwardly from the bracket 17 in parallel alignment with the axis of the cam bank unit described above, is a pintle 42. This pintle forms a pivotal mounting for a plurality of levers corresponding in number to the cams of the bank 30 and relatively spaced on the pintle in conformity with the spacing of the said cams so that the levers, numbered 43, 44, 45, 46 and 47 respectively in the drawings, are in alignment with the cams 28 to 33 respectively. As shown in Fig. 4, one end of each of these levers is normally confined between the peripheral edge of its associated rotary cam and a slide cam member, the latter being identified by the reference numerals 48, 49, 51, 52 and 53 respectively. These slide members, in superimposed relatively spaced series as shown in Fig. 5, are guided for longtiudinal reciprocatory movement in a pair of secondary brackets 54 and 55 secured to and extending upwardly from the bracket 17. Springs 56 and 57, a pair of which is attached to the slides in the manner illustrated in Fig. 4, exert resilient pressure tending to hold the slides in a relatively retracted position in which they engage the proximate ends of the levers 43 to 47 respectively to hold the ends of these levers in operative engagement with the peripheries of the respective rotary cams.

The relationship of the slide cam 48 to the knitting needles, in the cylinder 3 and of the slide earns 49, 51, 52 and 53 to the jacks, is illustrated in Fig. 8. In the present instance it is to be assumed that the knitting needles in each of.

180 of cylinder circumference are provided with long butts. These long butt needles are indicated collectively in the drawings by the reference numeral 81, and the long butts are shown at82. The needlesv 83 in the other 180 of cyclinder circumference are provided with short butts 82a. When the cam 48 is in the advanced position, the needles 81 are caused to travel in an upper track indicated by the reference numeral 84 wherein, subject to the actionof the conventional stitch cams 80, 85 and 86, they operate to form the conventional plain stitch. In this fully advanced-position, the cam 48 acts only on the long butts 82 to elevate the needles 81 to the upper track 84 from which, as illustrated in Fig. 8, the needles are further elevated by the cam 86 to the extent necessary to drop the previously formedloop when the needle is subsequently moved downwardly by the cam 85. When the cam 48 is. fully retracted the needles 81 and 83 travel in lower track 87, and subject to the action of the cam 88, will either produce tuck stitches, if the cam 88 is in the advanced position shown in Fig. 8, or will produce floats if the cam 88 is retracted in manner well known in the art; When the cam 48' is in the advanced position, the short-butt needles 83 are elevated by jacks, as hereinafter described, to the extent required for formation of the plain stitchfabric.

The needle-elevating jacks are indicated generally by the reference numeral 91. As shown in Fig. 8 each of the jacks comprises upper and lower butts, 92 and 93 respectively, and an intermediate butt 94. The butts 92 and 93 are adapted for guiding engagement respectively with the upper and lower edges 95 and 96 of a cam track 97, as shown. The butts 94 are adapted for operative engagement with the cams 49, 51, 52 and 53 to elevate the jacks as hereinafter described. In the present instance the jacks in 180 of cylinder circumference are in repetitive groups of four, the jacks in each group corresponding to those shown to the leftin Fig. 8. The leading jack-of each of these groups in respect to the direction of full cylinder rotationhas its intermediate butt 94 arranged for cooperative engagement with the cam 53, so that whenthat cam is fully advancedof inserted in the cylinder it will act to elevate the jack and the overlying knitting needle. The intermediate butt 94 of the next adjoining jack of the group is arranged for similar cooperative engagement with the cam 51; and the intermediate butts 94 of the two succeeding jacks are arranged for engagement with the cams 52 and 49 respectively. In this 180 of cylinder circumference the intermediate butts are all short butts.

The jacks in the other 180 of cylinder circumference are also in repetitive groups of four of which one group is shown to the right in Fig. 8. In this case the intermediate butts are long as compared with the short butts of the jacks of the other half of the circle, and in each group-the intermediate'butts are arranged as in the respective groupsof the other half of the circle for functional engagement with the cams 53, 51, 52 and 49 respectively. It will be noted that jacks having long butts 94 underlie theneedles 83 with short butts, and vice versa.

The cams 49, 51, 52 and 53 when in a fully advanced position will engage both the short butts 94 of the jacks in the one half of the circle and the long'intermediate butts of the jacks in the other half of the circle to elevate all of the jacks into the needle-elevating position. When the said cams are in an intermediate state of advance ment, they will act to elevate only the jacks in that half of the needle circle wherein the jacks are provided with the long intermediate butts. When the cams are fully retracted,- the jacks, guided in the track 95-96, will followa course, insofar as these cams are concerned,

wherein they are inoperative to elevate the knitting needles.

The formand relative arrangement of the cams 28, 29,31, 32 and 33 inclusive of the bank 30, and theggeneral mode-of operation of these cams is illustrated in Fig. 9 of the drawings. In the present instance, the rotary cam bank is geared'for one complete revolution to each eight revolutions of the needle cylinder. The cam 28, as illustrated, is provided with four equally spaced lobes 101, and these lobes as well as the intervening recesses 102 of the cam are of equal circumferential extent. The cam 28 will, therefore, act to advance the cam 48 into needle-actuating position in each alternate revolution of the cylinder. In the other revolutions of the cylinder the cam 48 will be retracted. In those courses of the knitted fabric wherein the cam 48 is advanced and thereforeoperative with respect to the knitting needles 81, the jacks will operate, as described below, to also elevate the needles 83a'nd' the entire course will be composed of plain stitches; but in those courses of the knitted fabric produced while the cam 48 is retracted, the needles 81 and 83 will be conditioned for the production of tuck stitches or floats, as described above, subject to control by the jacks-91.

The functional form of the jack earns 29, 31, 32 and 33- is also illustrated in Fig. 9. In the present instance, each of these cams'has a single peripheral recess, and since the cams are identical except for the relative positions of the saidrecesses in the 360 of cylinder circumference, the

' recesses will beidentified by the same reference numeral 103. As. illustrated, the said recess drops away at each side to an intermediate level designated by the reference numeral 104 and then to a central lower level 105. When the top level 106 of the cam ie the outermost peripheral edge, is presented to the associated lever, 44, 45, 46 or 47 as the case may be, the rotary carn operates to move the related slide'cam, 49, 51, 52 or 53, to the fully advanced position. As previously set forth when in this position, the latter cams will operate to elevate both the short and long butt jacks. When the actuating levers 44 and 47 engage the intermediatelevels 104 of the associated rotary cams, the jack-actuating cams are advanced to an extent such that they actuate only the long butt jacks. When the levers 44 to 47 engage the bottoms of the respective cam recesses 105, the cams 49, 51, 52 and 53 are fully retracted and are inoperative to elevate either the long or short butt jacks.

With the form and relative arrangement of cams illustrated in Fig 9, the needle-actuating cam 48 will be retracte'd in every other course. In those courses, therefore, the needles will be conditioned for tuck stitch formation as described above. In each of four successive such courses, one of the jack earns 49, 51, 52 and 53 will act to elevate three of the needles of each successive group of four so that a tuck stitch will be formed in every fourth wale; the stitches of the intervening wales being plain stitches. It will be understood that the jack cams operate in' succession and exert a control on the needles in every second course respectively and that at the end of each cycle of eight courses the operation is repeated. Thus, throughout the fabric, every second course will have a tuck stitch in every fourth wale; and since-the cams 29, 31, 32 and 33 are angularly offset with respect to each other as shown, the tuck stitch in the successive courses will be correspondingly' displaced weftwise with respect to each other to the extent in the present instance of one wale. A predetermined uniform pattern or tuck stitches is thus produced; and this patternv may be changed as desired by relative rearrangement of'the rotary cams 28, 29, 31, 32 and 33 or by substitution of cams of difierent peripheral contours.

When the rotary cam bank 30 is in the normal depressed position as shown in Fig. 7 the cams of the bank are in. alignment respectively with the several levers 43 to 47,, as previously described, and when the cam bank 30 is elevated through the medium of the lever 36, the rotary cams are moved to a misaligned and inoperative position with respect to the said levers. In order to clear the levers 43 to 47' from the cam bank during axial adjustment of the latter, and for other reasons hereinafter explained, the outer ends of the levers are engaged by a pair of plungers 61 and 62 which are mounted for longitudinal reciprocatory movement in suitable guides formed in a bracket 63 mounted on the fixed frame of the machine. The plunger 61 engages the proximate ends of the two levers 46 and 47. The plunger 62 similarly engages the proximate ends of the two levers 44 and 45, and this plunger also carries an arm 64 in which is mounted an adjustable pin 65 for engagement with the proximate end of the lever 43. As shown in Fig. 6, the pin 65 is normally retracted from the lever 43 while the plungers 61 and 62 are in contact with the other levers, so that there is in eifect a lost motion between the said pin and lever. The purpose of this lost motion will be hereinafter described.

The plungers 61 and 62 are normally held in a relatively retracted position by springs 66 and 67 respectively, which retain the rear ends of the said plungers in contact with the proximate ends of a pair of levers 68 and 69 mounted for oscillation about a vertical axis on a pintle 71. The opposite ends of these levers are connected in the present instance through connecting rods 72 and 73 with a pair of pivoted dogs 74 and 75 which are operatively associated with a pattern drum 76. Elevation of these dogs by the pattern drum will cause a counterclockwise movement of the levers 68 and 69, and projection of the plungers 61 and 62 with resultant retraction of the levers 44, 45, 46 and 47 from the peripheries of flre associated rotary cams 29, and 31 to 33 inclusive, and a delayed retraction also of the lever 43 from the periphery of the cam 28 if the movement of the lever 69 is suflicient to bring the pin 65 into contact with the lever 43. It will be apparent that the aforedescribed mechanism provides for actuation, independently of the rotary cams of the bank 30, of the cam elements 48, 49, 51, 52 and 53 inclusive; and also actuation of the cams 48, 49, and 51 independently of the cam elements 52 and 53.

Since the needle cam 48 operates only on the long butt needles, as previously described, and the plunger 62 operates both on the cam 48 and the jack cams 49 and 51 I which are required to operate on both long and short butt motion between the plunger 62 and lever 43 provides for the required diflerential movements between the cams. Thus, the position of the plunger 62 which corresponds to the fully advanced position of the jack earns 49 and 51, will at the same time correspond to the position of advancement of cam 48 required to engage that cam with the long butt needles. It will be apparent therefore that by a partial retraction of the plunger 62, the cam 48 may be permitted to move to its inoperative position while the jack cams, still under control of the rotary cams, will be permitted to actuate the long butt jacks only, so that the tuck stitch formation will be confined to 180 of the needle circle, the other 180 of the circular fabric being of plain stitch formation.

I claim:

1. In a circular knitting machine, a rotary needle cylinder, needles in said cylinder, cam means responsive to the rotary movement of the cylinder for actuating said needles, said cam means including a cam mounted for insertion into operative engagement with the needles to elevate the latter and retractable from said engagement, spring means tending to retain the said cam in retracted position, jacks in said cylinder for elevating the needles independently of said cam, a plurality of jack-elevating cams mounted for insertion into operative engagement with the jacks to elevate the latter and retractable from said engagement, spring means tending to retain the last-named cams in retracted positions, a plurality of rotary cam elements mounted for rotation as a unit about a common axis and having operative connection respectively with the said needleand jack-elevating cams to advance the said cams to inserted positions, and mechanism for rotating said cam elements in timed relation with the cylinder.

2. A knitting machine according to claim 1 wherein jacks, the lost the said axis of the rotary cams parallels the axis of the cylinder and lies in proximity to the latter.

3. A knitting machine according to claim 1 wherein the rotary cams are mounted for adjustment as a unit in axial direction to and from operative position with respect to the said needleand jack-elevating cams, and wherein means is provided for so axially adjusting the rotary cams.

4. A knitting machine according to claim 3 including devices synchronized with the rotary movement of the cylinder for operating the said cam adjusting means to adjust the rotary cams to and from said operating positions.

5. A knitting machine according to claim 3 including means for neutralizing the action of the said spring means during the axial adjustments of the rotary cam unit.

6. A knitting machine according to claim 1 including means for advancing the needleand jack-elevating cams independently of the rotary cams.

7. A knitting machine according to claim 6 including means synchronized with the cylinder rotation for actuating said advancing means.

8. A knitting machine according to claim 6 wherein said advancing means includes a motion transmitting element common to both the needle-elevating and jackelevating cams.

9. A knitting machine according to claim 8 wherein the said transmitting element comprises lost motion means for delayed advance of the needle-elevating cam relative to the advance of the jack-elevating cams.

10. A knitting machine according to claim 1 including means whereby each of the jack-elevating cams has operative engagement exclusively with a part only of the total number of jacks, and wherein the said cams collectively have operative engagement with all of said jacks.

11. A knitting machine according to claim 10 wherein each of the jack-elevating cams has operative connection with one only of the rotary cams.

12. In a circular knitting machine, a rotary needle cylinder, needles in said cylinder, stitch cams responsive to the rotary movement of the cylinder for actuating said needles selectively at two defierent levels, a needle cam apart from said stitch cams mounted for insertion into operative engagement with certain of the needles to direct those needles to the stitch cams at one of said levels and retractable from said engagement to afford freedom for movement for all of the needles to the stitch cams at the other of said levels, spring means tending to retain the said cam in retracted position, needle jacks in said cylinder, a plurality of jack cams mounted for insertion into operative engagement with the jacks to actuate the latter to direct all of the needles to the stitch cams at the said one level independently of said needle cam, spring means tending to retain the jack cams in retracted position, a plurality of rotary cam elements mounted for rotation as a unit about a common axis and having operative connection respectively with said needle and jack cams for periodically advancing the said needle and jack cams to inserted positions and to release the cams for retraction by the said spring means, said cams being relatively formed so that when the needle cam is inserted the jack cams will actuate the jacks selectively to direct those of the needles not affected by the needle cam to the stitch cams at the said one level, and when the needle cam is retracted the jack cams will actuate the jacks selectively to direct only selected ones of the needles to the stitch cams at said one level While permitting the remaining needles to move to the stitch cams at the said other level.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,933,281 Robinson Oct. 31, 1933 2,126,646 Lawson et al Aug. 9, 1938 2,199,637 Lawson May 7, 1940 2,255,693 Jones Sept. 9, 1941

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