US3031869A - Automatic electrical controls for knitting machines - Google Patents

Description

y 1962 T. D. BUMPAS ETAL 3,031,869

AUTOMATIC ELECTRICAL CONTROLS FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed June 15, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS T. D. BUMPAS W. 0. WHEELER H. I. STEEN ATTORNEY May 1, 1962 T. D. BUMPAS ETAL AUTOMATIC ELECTRICAL CONTROLS FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed June 15, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS T. D. BuMPAs w.o. WHEELER H. 1. STEEN BY A ATTORNE 3,tl31,t369 AUTQMATIC ELECTRECAL CGNTROLS FOR KNITTHNG MAtIHllNES Troy D. Bumpas, 1712 Tate St., Watson ()deil Wheeler, 1508 Tate St, and Harry I. Steer], 1523 Cruise fit, all of Corinth, Miss.

Filed June 15, 1959, Ser. No. 820,161 4 Claims. (Cl. 66-157) This invention relates to the manufacture of fabrics of various kinds, to' knitting machines and equipment by which such articles are manufactured, and to safety and control devices by which the operations of knitting machines or portions thereof are governed or controlled.

The invention relates particularly to the knitting of stockings or other articles of a character to fit a specific configuration and including a knitting machine employed in such knitting operations as well as to safety devices for preventing damage to the articles knitted and to the knitting machine.

In the knitting of a stocking in the normal cycle it is necessary that the width of the stocking be narrowed to conform to the contour of the leg. In the usual knitting operation the machine knits an article of the same width and when the knitting is narrowed the narrowing points on the machine dip down and pick up the stocking and shift it inwardly for two needles. In the desired operation of the machine the narrowing points should dip down only a single time however as a result of the malfunctioning of the machine, the gears which operate the narrowing points may become stuck and this would cause the narrowing points to continue to dip down and move the knitting inwardly. This could result in the stacking up of one layer of knitting on another thereby ruining the particular fabric and if the machine were permitted to make a number of clips without stopping serious damage to the machine could result.

It is an object of the invention to overcome the difficulties enumerated and to provide mechanism for interrupting the supply of power to a knitting machine if malfunctioning should occur for any reason such as due to the gears which operate the narrowing points becoming stuck and causing the narrowing points to dip. By the interruption of power and its stoppage the machine will be prevented from ruining an article being knitted as well as the machine from being damaged.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective of a knitting machine cut-01f or power interruptor illustrating one application of the invention;

FIG. 2, a side elevation of the right side;

FIG. 3, a side elevation of the left side;

FIG. 4, a section on the line 44 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5, a section on the line 55 of FIG. 1.

Briefly stated, the invention is a device for shutting oil? or interrupting the supply of electrical power to a knitting machine such device being placed adjacent a shaft which extends the length of the machine and on which a cam is mounted from such shaft the actuation of parts of the mechanism being accomplished, such cam serving to move the narrowing of the stocking or article knit, a pair of rollers being provided which are attached to lever arms which operate a ratchet and impart positive rotation to a switch-operating cam.

With continued reference to the drawings the knitting machine cut-ofii of the present invention comprises a base with a housing 11 secured on one end thereof by screws or other fasteners 12. The housing 11 has sides 13 and 14 and a top 15. A micro-switch 17 is mounted 3,031,869 I Patented May 1, 1962 in the housing on the side or wall 14 and is provided with an opening 18 through which leads 19 pass and connect a normally closed micro-switch 17 with a source of power on the loom. The micro-switch is provided with a flexible arm 20 and when such arm is depressed a pin 21 is depressed to break the connection in the microswitch and cut oi the power to the machine.

A shaft 22 is mounted in the housing 11 and has ends projecting through sides 13 and 14. A cam member 23 is mounted within the housing 11 and is fixed to the shaft 22 by a set-screw 24 and such cam member is located in a position immediately above lever 20 so that upon rotation of the shaft 22 the cam 23 will engage and depress such lever. A ratchet gear 25 is fixed on the shaft 22 by a set-screw 26 exteriorly of the side 13 of the housing. A crank arm 27 is pivotally carried on the shaft 22 adjacent the ratchet gear 25 and axial movement of the crank arm is limited by a stop 28 secured on the shaft 22 by a set-screw 29.

A projection 30 is pivotally connected to the lower end of the crank arm 27 and is provided with an opening 31 through which a connecting rod 32 is adapted to pass. 7

This rod 32 is adjustably held in fixed relation to the projection 30 by collars 33, one being mounted on each side of the projection 30 and having set-screws 34 for locking them on the rod 32 in its adjusted position.

The opposite end of the rod 32 is provided with a connecting member 35 pivotally connected to a toggle bar or lever 36 by a pivot pin 37. The toggle bar 36 is pivotally mounted on a shaft 38 extending through a bore in the base 10 and is held in fixed position by a set-screw 10', a set-screw held collar 39 being utilized to maintain the toggle bar in alignment on the shaft. Thelower end of the toggle bar 36 is adapted to carry a roller 40 on a shaft 41 and held in place by a nut 42.

On the opposite side of the base 10 a similar toggle bar 43 is mounted in like manner and is adapted to carry a roller 44 at its lower end and a connecting member 45 held by a pin 45 on its upper end. The connecting member 45 is fixed to a link 46 which extends rearwardly to a bracket 47 fixed on the housing 15 and is held against endwise movement on the link 46 by a stop 48 secured by a set-screw 49. A collar 50 is fastened on the link' 46 in spaced relation to the stop or collar 48 on the opposite side of the bracket 47 by a set screw 51. The stop St? is held in fixed spaced relation to bracket 47 by a normally biasing spring 52, and rearward movement of link 46 is governed by stop 48 in conjunction with spring 52.

A pin or projection 53 is mounted in the stop 50 and is adapted to engage a pin or projection 54 in the top of a pawl 55 mounted on the side 13 of the housing by means of a pivot pin 56. A pin or projection '57 is carried by the pawl 55 and projects outwardly therefrom. The outer end of the pin 57 is adapted to carry a spring 58 to bias ,or maintain the pawl 55 to intimate contact with the ratchet 25 until such time as the pawl is released by the pin 53 exerting force on the pin 54 and pivoting the pawl 55 out of engagement with the ratchet 25. The opposite end of the spring 58 is attached to a pin 59 carried by a pawl 60 mounted by a pivot 61 on the crank arm'27 and such pawl is normally maintained out of engagement with the ratchet 25 (FIG. 4) by a stop 62 and an ad portion 66 having a groove 67 in which is received one end of a spring 68, the opposite end of which is carried in a groove 69 of a projection 70 mounted on the crank arm 2'7. Rearward movement of the bar 27 is controlled by an adjusting screw 71 held in fixed adjusted position by a lock nut 72 intermediate the spring 68 and the adjusting screw 63.

In order to return the ratchet gear and the cam 23 to their original position the shaft 22 projects. beyond the side 14 of the housing and a depending lever 73 is adapted to be mounted thereon by a setscrew '74. The lower end of the depending lever is provided with a projection 75 adapted to receive. one end of a spring 76, the opposite end of which is attached to a projection 77 mounted on the side 14. A. stop 73 is provided which projects from the side 14 and is adapted to restrict the rearward movement of the depending lever 73.

Inthe operation of the device. a conventional camshaft 80 has a flange 81 with a cam 8-2 attached by a bolt 33 which extends through a slot 84 to adjustably secure the cam on the flange 81. During the normal cycle the cam 82 isopposite the roller 44 and with each revolution of the shaft such cam strikes the roller and will have no influence on the switch.

When the machine goes into the narrowing process the cam shaft 80 moves to a position such that the cam 82 will strike the roller 40. When roller 40 is moved rearwardly the cam toggle bar 36 moves the link 32 and the crank, arm 27 forwardly. Movement of the crank arm 27 moves the stop 62 on the pawl 69 out of engagement with the adjusting screw 63 and the spring 58 will pull the. pawl into engagement with the ratchet 25. Upon continued movement of the roller 40 the ratchet 25 will be moved until the pawl '55 engages the next succeeding tooth of the. ratchet and prevents the return thereof. Movementof the ratchet rotates the shaft 22 and the cam 23 until it is ready to open the micro-switch 17, whereupon further movement, will engage and open the switch and cut ed the power to the machine.

When the machine is, operating correctly the shaft'Stlv will shift back to its original position and the cam 82 will strike the roller 44 and thetogglebar 43. which carries the roller 44 will move the linkage 46 forwardly against the. tension of the spring 52 and, pin 53 carried by the stop 50 on thelink 46 will engage the pin 54 and pivot the pawl '55 out of engagement with the ratchet so that the spring 76- attached to the shaft 22 through lever '73 will return the ratchet and the cam 23 to their original positions.

If the machine, is not operating correctly and the shaft Stldoes not shift back to its original position after striking roller 40, but stays in that position, when thecam 82 again hits the roller 40 and the pawl 60 moves the ratchet 25 another notch, the, ratchetwill turn the shaft 22 and the cam 23 carried thereon to depress the lug 21 on the microswitch and open the circuit to stop operation of the machine. The machine will remain inoperative until such areas After the cam 82 has passed roller 4d the depending 7 bar 27 is moved rearwardly against the adjusting screw 71 bythe spring 68 and the stop 62 on the pawl will strike. the adjusting screw 63 to move such pawl about pivot 61 to disengage the pawl 60 from the ratchet 25.

It will be obvious to ,one skilled in the art that various from the spirit and scope thereof and therefore the invention is not limited by that which is illustrated in the 4 drawings and described in the specification, but only as indicated in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A device for interrupting the supply of electrical energy to a knitting machine comprising a base, a housing mounted on said base, a micro-switch mounted in said housing, cam means for depressing said micro-switch, said cam means being rotated by a ratchet, a pawl for moving said ratchet, a linkage pivotally mounted on said base for moving said pawl and said ratchet, a second pawl for holding said ratchet in rotated position when said first pawl is returned to its original position, a second linkage pivotally mounted on said base and operable by said knitting machine to release said second pawl, spring means for returning said cam and ratchet to their initial positions, said cam means including means whereby said first linkage must be operated at least twice in succession to operate said micro-switch.

2. A device for interrupting the supply of electrical energy to a knitting'machine comprising a body having support means on one end thereof, a pair of mechanical linkages pivotally mounted on the opposite end of said body in a manner to be actuated by the knitting machine, a pawl carried by one of said linkages, a shaft journalled in said support means, a ratchet mounted on said shaft and adapted to rotate said shaft when engaged and moved by said pawl, said pawl normally being out of engagement with said ratchet, a switch mounted on said support means, cam means mounted on said shaft in a position to engage said switch when said shaft is rotated a predetermined amount, a holding pawl mounted on said support means in a manner to maintain said ratchet in rotated position, and means carried by the other of said linkages for releasing said holding pawl when said second linkage is actuated.

3. A device for interrupting the supply of electrical energy to a knitting machine upon the malfunctioning of the latter, said device comprising a body, rotatable operating means mounted on said body, ratchet means for rotating said operating means, a, first linkage operable by the knitting machine for actuating said ratchet means, holding means for holding said ratchet means in an intermediate position, a second linkage operable by the knitting machine for releasing said holding means, said operating means being positioned so that said first linkage must be operated twice in succession to actuate said operating means and interrupt the supply of electricity.

4. A device for interrupting the supply of electrical energy to a knitting machine upon the malfunctioning of the latter, said device including a body, a switch mounted on said body, acam rotatably mounted on said body in operative relation with said switch, rotatable ratchet means for rotating said cam, a mechanical linkage operable by the knitting; machine for rotating said ratchet means, a pawl for holding said ratchet means in actuated position, a release mechanism operable bythe knitting machine for releasing said pawl, said cam being located in a manner that said linkage must be operated at least twice in succession to operate said switch.

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

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