US3367147A - Yarn severing means for straight-bar knitting machines - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 6, 1968 E. HAEHNEL 3,367,147

YARN SEVERING MEANS FOR STRAIGHT-BAR KNITTING MACHINES YANN SEVERIN@ MEANS FOR STRAIGHT-EAR KNITTING MACHINES Feb. 6, 1968 H. E. HAEHNEL 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 8, 1965 Feb. 6, 1968 H. E. HAEHNEL. 3,367,147

YARN SEVERING MEANS FOR STRAIGHT-BAR KNITTING MACHINES Filed June 8, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 United States Patent iiice 3,367,147 Patented Feb. 6, 1968 3,367,147 YARN SEVERING MEANS FOR STRAIGHT-BAR KNITTING MACHINES Herbert E. Haehnel, Reading, Pa., assigner to Textile Machine Works, Wyomissing, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed June 8, 1965, Ser. No. 462,194 8 Claims. (Cl. 66-145) ABSTRACT OF THE DSCLOSURE Severing means for straight-bar knitting machines for automatically severing yarn between a completed fabric blank and the machine fabricating elements including a yarn deilecting member movable between an inactive position below the draw-off path of said blank to an active position to engage and deflect the yarn toward a wire element, yarn engaging members receiving said yam from said deflecting member and pressing same into engagement with said element upon return of said deecting member to inactive position and pattern control means for selective control of said members and the heating of said element to sever the yarn.

This invention relates to straight bar or full-fashioned knitting machines for knitting flat selvaged fabric blanks and more particularly to means in such machines for automatically severing the yarns between the completed fabric blanks and the fabricating means of the machines.

In machines for knitting full-fashioned fabric blanks such as for sweaters and the like, the different width blank portions making up a completed sweater are knitted in succession with each completed blank portion ending at one width and the next blank portion starting at a different width. Following press-off of each blank portion, the carrier feeding the yarn for the different blank portions is reset from its position at the end of the completed blank to its starting position for the new blank. After the new blank is started, the yarn connecting the completed and new blanks is severed and the completed blank is then removed from the machine either manually or by automatically operated means. Heretofore, the severing means provided included a wire element which `was either manually or automatically moved from an inactive position to engage the yarn extending between the completed and new blanks and the wire element was then energized to sever the yarn after which the wire element was again de-energized and moved to inactive position so as not to interfere with the new blank as it was formed. Where the severing means was manually operated, the cost of the severing means was relatively small but the manual manipulation required to effect the severing operation was both time consuming and costly. On the other hand, where the severing means was automatic in operation, the complexity of the mechanism required to move the severing means between its inactive position and the different active positions necessary to sever the yarns between the different width blanks made the cost of the automatic mechanism economically prohibitive in comparison to the benefits obtained.

The principal object of the instant invention is to provide yarn severing means for a straight or full-fashioned knitting machine which will overcome the above noted and other objections to prior yarn severing means.

A further object of the invention is the provision of yarn severing means for straight bar knitting machines which is adapted to engage and sever the yarn extending between the different width blanks knit on the machine at a common point in relationship to the blank fabricating means of the machine.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of yarn severing means in straight bar knitting machines which severing means includes a heatable wire element mounted in a fixed location relative to the blank fabricating means of the machine, a linger which is movable from an inactive position to engage and deflect yarns extending between a completed blank and a new blank being knitted by the fabricating means to the wire element, and means for holding the deflected yarn in engagement with the wire element for severance thereby when the finger is returned to inactive position.

With these and other objects in view, which will become apparent from the following detailed description of the illustrative embodiment of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings, the invention resides in the novel elements, features of 4construction and cooperation of parts as hereinafter more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. l is a plan view of a knitting section of a multisection full-fashioned knitting machine having yarn severing mechanism according to the invention applied thereto;

FIG. 2 is a view on an enlarged scale of the severing mechanism taken in the direction of the arrows 2 2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but with certain of the parts shown in different positions relative to FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line and in the direction of the arrows `4 4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional View taken transversely through the machine and showing the operating mechanism of the invention; and

FIG. 6 is a view diagrammatically illustrating the pattern mechanism of the machine and the electrical circuit and control means for the severing mechanism of the invention.

Referring to the drawings and more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 5 there is shown a portion of multisection fulfashioned knitting machine for knitting fabric blanks such as for sweaters and the like including a center frame 1G, a front beam 11, a back beam 12, a -center bed 15 and a front bed or table 16. The beams and beds are secured to the center frames and to end frames (not shown) to form the usual `framework of the machine. Each knitting section has a row of spring bearded needles 17 which are carried in a needle bar 20, the needles cooperating with sinkers 21 slidably carried in a sinkerhead 22 secured to the center bed 15, and knockover bits 2S. The needles 17, sinkers 21 and knockover bits 25 are operated by lever means and cams (not shown) on a camshaft Z6 to form yarn fed thereto by yarn carriers, one of which is shown at 27, into loops of the fabric blanks such as diagrammatically shown at 30 (FIG. 1). The carriers 27 are carried on carrier rods which are reciprocated back and forth across the row of needles 17 by means of friction boxes or like driving devices which are in turn reciprocated by coulier mechanism (not shown) in a conventional manner. The fabric blanks as they are knit are tensioned by draw-olf mechanism, including reels, one of which is diagrammatically shown at 33, mounted on a shaft 34, the reels being suitably of the type shown and operated in the manner disclosed in my co-pending application Serial No. 387,009, filed August 16964, now Patent No. 3,269,150, issued August 30,

The blank portions making up the completed sweaters such as the fronts, backs and sleeves, which are of different widths, are knitted in succession on the lmachine with each completed blank portion ending at one width and the next blank portion starting at a different width. After each blank portion is completed it is pressed or knit off the needles 17 and the carrier 27, feeding the yarn for the different blank portions, is reset from its position at the end of the completed blank portion to its starting position for the next blank portion. After one or more courses of the new blank yportion are knit the yarn extending between the completed and new blank portions is severed and the completed blank is then removed from the machine. According to the invention, the means for severing the yarn extending between the completed and new blank portions knit in each knitting section of the machine includes a wire element 31 which is positioned below the top of the front bed 16 at a position between the front bed and needles 17 and intermediate the ends of the knitting section. The opposite ends of the wire element 31 are secured in members 32 and 35 which are in turn fixed in brass members 36 by screws 37 (FIGS. 1 and 2). The members 36 are held in slots in a block 40 of Bakelite or similar insulating material by a plate 41 which is held in clamping engagement with the members 36 by a screw 42 threadably carried in the block 40. The block 40 is secured by screws 45 to a bracket 46 which is secured in fixed position by bolts 47 to the underside of the front bed 16 (FIG. 5).

The yarn is adapted to be moved into engagement with the wire element 31 by members 56 and 51 which are positioned at opposite sides of the wire element as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 4. One end of the member 50 is secured in a lever 52 pivotally mounted on a pin 5S or the like carried in the bracket 46 (FIGS. 2 and 3). At its other end the mem-ber 50 is provided with an upwardly extending return bend portion S6 for purposes hereinafter set forth. One end of the member 51 is fixed in a lever 57 pivotally mounted on a stud or pin 60 carried in the bracket 46 and the other endfof the member 51 extends upwardly and then downwardly to form a hook-like portion 61. The lever 57 also carries a wire nger or sweep 62 having an upturned end 65. The member 51 and sweep 62 extend toward the right from the lever 57 and the lever is normally positioned by engagement of the sweep with a stop member 66 on the bracket 46 so that the member 51 is below wire element 31 and the upturned end 65 of the sweep is below the top of the front bed 16 as shown in FIG. 2. The lever 57 has a pin 67 extending from one side thereof for engagement in a slot 70 formed in the lever 52, the pin and slot providing a connection by means yof which the lever 57 is rotated with the lever 52 when the latter is operated las hereinafter set forth.

The levers 52 and 57 are rotated counterclockwise to move the member 50 and member 51 and sweep 62 from the position of FIG. 2 to the position of FIG. 3 at which time the sweep engages the yarn extending between a completed blank and a new blank, indicated at 69 in FIGS. l and 4, and deects or cams it downwardly into engagement with the member S between the sweep and member S1 as shown in FIG. 3. It will be noted that during movement of the members S0 and 51 and sweep 62 from the position of FIG. 2 to the position of FIG. 3 the portion 56 of member 50 and portion 61 of member 51 move from a position in which they extend away from each other as in FIG. 2 to a position in which they extend toward each other as in FIG. 3 so that yarn also lies between and below the free ends of the bend portions -of the members 50 and 51. Following movement of the members and sweep to the position of FIG. 3 to deflect the yarn between the members as above set forth they are again returned to their position of FIG. 2 at which time the yarn is caught between the oppositely directed bend portion 56 and the member 50 and portion 61 of member S1 at opposite sides of the wire element 31 to hold the yarn in engagement therewith as shown in FIG. 4.

For moving the levers 52 and 57 between the positions of FIGS. 2 and 3, lever 52 is provided with a cam surface 71 adapted to be engaged by a follower end portion 72 of a lever 75 pivotally mounted on a stud 76 carried in the bracket 46 (FIG. 2). The portion 72 is maintained in engagement with the cam surface on lever 52 by a spring 77 connected between lever 52 and lever 75. One end of a link 30 is pivotally connected to the lever 75 and the other end of the link is connected to a pin 82 carried in and projecting from a lever S5 secured to a shaft 86 mounted for rocking movement in the center frames 10 of the machine. A second lever 87 also secured to shaft 86 is connected by a link 90 to a lever 91 pivoted on n pin or stud 92 fixed in a bracket 95 secured to the back beam 12. Lever 91 has a roller type cam follower 96 for engagement with a cam 97 -on the camshaft 26. A spring 100 connected between an arm 101 of lever 91 and a bracket 192 on the back beam 12 tends to bias the lever and follower 96 toward the cam 97. The cam 97 has a high portion 10S which acts through levers 87 and 85 to turn levers 52 and 57 to their position of FIG. 2 and a low portion 106 which acts to move levers 52 and 57 to the position of FIG. 3.

The lever 91 is normally held in its position as determined by the high portion of the cam 97 by an upper end portion 107 of a lever 110 which yoverlies a projection 111 on the lever 91 adjacent the follower 96. The lever is fixed on one end of a shaft 112 pivotally mounted in a bracket 115 secured to the front beam 11. At its other end Shaft 112 carries a lever 116 for engagement with a block 117 secured to a rod 120. Rod 120 is one of the usual pattern rods of the machine and is operated by one of a group of pattern levers 121 forming part of the pattern chain device of the machine indicated diagrammatically at 122 in FIG. 6. The lever 110 is normally positioned by the rod so that the end portion 107 of the lever overlies the projection 111 and prevents the lever 91 from following the low portion 106 of the cam 97. When the lever 91 is to follow the low portion 106 of the cam 97, a button 125 on chain 126 of the chain device 122 operates the lever 121 to shift rod 120, to the left as viewed in FIG. 6 to turn lever 110 to remove the portion 107 from the path of the projection 111 on lever 91.

Following movement of the levers 52 and 57 between their positions of FIGS. 2 and 3 to engage the yarn extending between the completed and new blanks with the wire element 31 in each knitting section of the machine as above set forth the wire elements are heated to sever the yarns. In order to energize and heat the wire elements they are connected in an electrical circuit` preferably of 110 volts, comprising main conductors 127 which are conected by leads to a timer device 131 as diagrammatically shown in FIG. 6. The timer device 131 `.ay be of any commercial type, such as the Agastat Timer manufactured by the Elastic Stop Nut Corp. of Elizabeth, New Jersey, which acts to close the circuit and to hold it closed for predetermined time intervals. The timer device 131 is connected by leads 132 to an adjustable transformer 135 by means of which the voltage may be varied to increase or decrease the temperature of the elements 31. The transformer 135 is connected by leads 136 to the wire elements 31 and the individual elements associated with each knitting section are connected to each other in series by leads 137, the leads 136 and 137 being connected to the wire elements through the brass elements 36. The timer device is connected by a link 140 to one of the pattern levers 121 which is moved to close the circuit through the timer to the Wire elements when one of the buttons 125 on the chain 126 is moved beneath the lever.

It will be understood that the improvements specifically shown and described, by which the above results are obtained, can be changed and modified in various ways without departing from the invention herein disclosed and hereinafter claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. In a knitting machine having means for fabricating flat selvaged fabric blanks, and draw-off means for drawing off said fabric blanks as they are knitted by said fabrieating means, in combination with means for severing yarn extending between a completed fabric blank and the fabricating means including a wire element mounted in fixed position intermediate the ends of said fabricating means and :below the draw-off path of said fabric blank, a pivoted finger, means for moving said finger from an inactive position below the draw-off path of Said fabric blank to engage and defiect the yarn between said completed blank and said fabricating means toward said Wire element, means for receiving said deflected yarn from said finger and for pressing said yarn into engagement with said wir-e element when said finger is returned to inactive position, and means for energizin-g and heating said wire element to sever said yarn engaging said wire element.

2. A machine according to claim l in which said receiving means includes a first member positioned at one side of said wire element and a second member positioned at the other side of said wire element.

3. A machine according to claim 2 in which there is means operated by said moving means for said finger to move said receiving means from an inactive position to an active position to receive said yarn when said finger is moved to engage and deflect said yarn and to move said receiving means to press said yarn into engagement with said wire element when said finger is returned to inactive position.

4. In a knitting machine having means for fabricating flat selvaged fabric blanks and draw-off means for drawing off said fabric blanks as they are knitted by said fabricating means, in combination with means for severing yarn extending between a completed fabric blank and said fabricating means including a wire element mounted in fixed position between said fabricating means vand said draw-off means and below the draw-off path of said fabric blank, a finger, means for pivotally mounting said finger, means for moving said mounting means to move said finger between an inactive position below said draw-off path of said fabric blank to an active position to engage and defiect the yarn extending between said completed fabric blank and said fabricating means toward said wire element, means movable with said finger for receiving said yarn deflected by said finger and for pressing said yarn into engagement with said wire element when said finger is returned to inactive position, and means for energizing and heating said Wire element to sever said yarn when said yarn is in engagement with said wire element.

5. In a knitting machine having means for fabricating fiat selvaged fabric blanks and draw-off means for drawin-g off said fabric -blanks as they are knitted by said fabricating means, in combination with means for severing yarn extending between a completed fabric blank and said fabricating means including a wire element mounted in fixed position between said fabricating means and said draw-off means and below the draw-off` path of said fabric blank, a finger, means for pivotally mounting said finger, means for moving said mounting means to move said finger between an inactive position below said draw-off path of said fabric blank to an active position to engage and defiect the yarn extending between said completed fabric blank and said fabricating means toward said wire element, means for receiving said yarn defiected by said finger and for pressing said yarn into engagement with said wire element, and means for energizing and heating said wire element to sever said yarn when said yarn is in engagement with said wire element, said receiving means including a first member mounted for pivotal movement at one side of said wire element, and a second member carried in said pivotal mounting for said finger at the other side of said wire element, said first and second members being movable from inactive positions to active positions to receive said yarn by said moving means for said finger during movement of said finger to active position to deflect said yarn toward said wire element, and being moved to press said yarn into engagement with said wire element when said fin-ger is returned to inactive position by said moving means.

6. A machine according to claim 5 in which said moving means for said mounting means for said finger includes said first member, means connecting said first member and said mounting means, and means for operating said first member.

'7. A machine according to claim 6 in which said operating means for said first member includes lpattern means.

8. A machine according to claim 7 in which said energizing means includes timer means for energizing and heating said wire element for :predetermined timed intervals to sever said yarn and said timer means is controlled by said pattern means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,602,313 7/1952 Reading 66-145 2,844,016 7/1958 Cobert 66-145 XR 2,863,310 12/1958 Miller 66-145 2,934,922 5/1960 Reading 66-145 3,120,747 2/1964 Reading 66-145 FOREIGN PATENTS 975,548 11/1964 Great Britain. 1,148,690 5/1963 Germany.

ROBERT R. MACKEY, Primary Examiner.'

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