US3095717A - Circular knitting machine - Google Patents

Circular knitting machine Download PDF

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US3095717A
US3095717A US771035A US77103558A US3095717A US 3095717 A US3095717 A US 3095717A US 771035 A US771035 A US 771035A US 77103558 A US77103558 A US 77103558A US 3095717 A US3095717 A US 3095717A
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needles
draw
stitches
sinkers
stitch
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US771035A
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Coile Benjamin Franklin
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Textile Machine Works
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Textile Machine Works
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    • DTEXTILES; PAPER
    • D04BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
    • D04BKNITTING
    • D04B15/00Details of, or auxiliary devices incorporated in, weft knitting machines, restricted to machines of this kind
    • D04B15/32Cam systems or assemblies for operating knitting instruments

Definitions

  • radially movable sinkers cooperate with a circular series of independently movable needles in drawing yarn to form the stitches of a knitted fabric.
  • the needles are moved downwardly in a wave by cam means to engage and draw the yarn through the previously formed stitches on the needles and over the stitch drawing surfaces of the sinkers which are then advanced in timed relationship to the needles to place the nibs thereof above the newly drawn stitches to hold them as the needles rise to latch clearing level.
  • the .needles are again moved downwardly to engage the yarn and draw the stitches for the next course, the sinkers are retracted to remove the nibs from above the stitches on the needles so that the yarn may again be drawn over the stitch drawing surfaces of the sinkers.
  • the relative movements of the needles and sinkers is very critical and must be so timed that as a needle reaches its maximum stitch drawing depth between a pair of sinkers, the stitch is ready to drop off ofthe nib of the leading sinker of the pair before the next needle starts to draw its stitch between the pair of sinkers associated therewith.
  • the needles continue downwardly to draw the stitches through the previously formed stitches and onto the knockover surfaces of the sinkers after which the sinkers are advanced to place the nibs above the new stitches to hold them as the needles again rise to latch clearing level.
  • Another object of the invention is the provision of cam means in a circular knitting machine for controlling the stitch drawing movements of the needles whereby the tension exerted by the needle on a stitch is relieved prior to the stitch drawing operation of the next needle.
  • ⁇ FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of a stitch cam for a circular knitting machine in accordance with the instant invention
  • FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 are views illustrating the relation between the needles and sinkers during certain phases of their operation to form loops of a knitted fabric
  • FIG. 5 is an elevational view of the needles and sinkers as seen from the right of FIG. 2 illustrating the operating relations of the needles indicated in FIG. 1 with the sinkers cooperating therewith.
  • the needle operating cam structure of the instant invention is preferably associated with a machine having both rotary and reciprocatory motion of the type in which independently operated latch needles are moved to draw stitches over the upper surfaces of the sinkers such as that disclosed in my co-pending application Serial No. 329,801, filed January 6, 1953, and in the corresponding British Patent No. 790,141, published February 5, 1958 and hereinafter referred to collectively as the Coile disclosure.
  • a cam assembly 10 for operating needles 11 to draw yarn in forming loops of a fabric and including an upper cam 12 and a lower or guard cam 15.
  • the upper cam 12 is provided with inclined draw-down surfaces 16 which are adapted to engage butt portions 14 of the needles 11 to draw them downwardly during both rotary and reciprocatory movements of the machine.
  • the surfaces 16 incline inwardly and downwardly toward each other to merge with outer ends of short lower horizontal surfaces 17 which act on the butts 14 to position the needles 11 at their maximum stitch drawing level.
  • the cam 12 is provided with inclined surfaces 22 extending outwardly and upwardly from an apex 25 to merge with inclined surfaces 26 extending inwardly and upwardly from inner ends of the surfaces 17 of the cam.
  • the apex 25 is suitably spaced below the level of the surfaces 17 to draw the needles downwardly to a lower position during the formation of the loops as hereinafter set forth.
  • the guard cam is provided with an upper horizontal surface 27 which lies parallel to the surfaces 17 of the cam 12 and which is spaced therefrom to provide clearance for the passage of the butts 14 of the needles.
  • Inclined surfaces 28 which extend inwardly and downwardly from the surface 27 to meet at a point opposite to the apex 25, act to control the position of the needles 11 as they pass beneath the cam 12.
  • the cam 12 and guard cam 15 are secured to a support member, indicated in dot-and-dash outline at 30, by screws 31, the support member being mounted for movements in the same manner as the cams in said Coile disclosure to change the position of the cams in drawing stitches of different lengths.
  • the needles 11 After being raised to the latch clearing level, are lowered to receive yarn and then engage an inclined surface 16 of the cam 12 to be drawn downwardly to the level of a surface 17 (FIGS. 1 and 5) to draw or measure the yarn for the new stitches over upper surfaces or nibs 32 of a pair of sinkers 35 (FIG. 2) associated with each needle.
  • a surface 17 FIGGS. 1 and 5
  • the butts thereof ride ofi of the surface 17 thereby relieving the tension in the stitches.
  • the leading sinker of the pair of sinkers is moved to withdraw its nib 32 from the stitch.
  • the needle butts engage the surface 22 and the needles are lowered to the level of the apex 25 to pull or draw the newly drawn stitches over knockover surfaces 37 of the sinkers (FIG. 3) which hold the previously formed stitches as the new stitches are knitted therethrough.
  • the needles 11 are raised by the inclined surface 28 of the guard cam 15 to the level of surface 27 of the guard cam 15 to thereby relieve the tension on the new stitches as the sinkers 35 are advanced to catch and hold the new stitches in throat portions 40 of the sinkers when the needles are again raised to latch clearing level as indicated in FIG. 4.
  • a circular knitting machine having independent latch needles adapted to be operated in both rotary and reciprocatory movements of the machine and sinkers cooperating with said needles
  • said sinkers having upper stitch drawing surfaces and lower knockover surfaces
  • a stitch cam having upper straight needle draw-down surfaces for moving said needles to draw yarn stitches over the upper surfaces of said sinkers during reciprocatory movements of said needles in opposite directions, straight lower horizontal surfaces into which each of said draw-down surfaces merges, and corresponding to the maximum depth to which said needles are moved to draw said stitches, a portion intermediate said horizontal surfaces having :draw-down surfaces for moving said needles to draw 'said stitches onto the knockover surfaces of said sinkers during reciprocatory movement of said needles in opposite directions, and upwardly inclined surfaces joining the inner ends of said horizontal surfaces to said draw-down surfaces of said intermediate portion, said upwardly inclined surfaces acting on said needles to relieve the tension in the stitches between the draw-down movements of said needles by said upper draw-down surfaces and said drawadown surfaces of said intermediate portion.
  • said sinkers having an upper stitch drawing surface and a lower knockover surface
  • a stitch cam having an upper downwardly extending needle drawdown surface for drawing yarn stitches over the upper surfaces of said sinkers, a straight horizontal surface merging with the lower end of said draw-down surface, a second needle draw-down surface extending upwardly from a point below the level of said horizontal surface for drawing said yarn stitches onto said knockover surfaces of said sinkers, and an upwardly inclined surface joining the inner end of said horizontal surface and the upper end of said second draw-down surface, said upwandly inclined surface acting on said needles to relieve the tension in the stitches between the draw-down movements of said needles by said upper and second draw-down surfaces of said cam.

Description

July 2, 1 963 r B. F. COILE CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Filed 001.- 31, 1958 IN VEN TOR. (Be/jam; FFan/f/in Qi/e United States Patent "ice 3,095,717 CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Benjamin Franklin Coile, Athens, Ga., assignor to Textile Machine Works, Wyomissing, 'Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Oct. 31, 1958, Ser. No. 771,035 2 Claims. (Cl. 66-8) This invention relates to a cam structure for circular knitting machines and more particularly such cam structure for controlling the movements of the needles during stitch drawing operations.
In circular knitting machines, radially movable sinkers cooperate with a circular series of independently movable needles in drawing yarn to form the stitches of a knitted fabric. The needles are moved downwardly in a wave by cam means to engage and draw the yarn through the previously formed stitches on the needles and over the stitch drawing surfaces of the sinkers which are then advanced in timed relationship to the needles to place the nibs thereof above the newly drawn stitches to hold them as the needles rise to latch clearing level. -As the .needles are again moved downwardly to engage the yarn and draw the stitches for the next course, the sinkers are retracted to remove the nibs from above the stitches on the needles so that the yarn may again be drawn over the stitch drawing surfaces of the sinkers.
In machines in which the stitches are drawn over the nibs of the sinkers as heretofore built, the relative movements of the needles and sinkers is very critical and must be so timed that as a needle reaches its maximum stitch drawing depth between a pair of sinkers, the stitch is ready to drop off ofthe nib of the leading sinker of the pair before the next needle starts to draw its stitch between the pair of sinkers associated therewith. In such operation the needles continue downwardly to draw the stitches through the previously formed stitches and onto the knockover surfaces of the sinkers after which the sinkers are advanced to place the nibs above the new stitches to hold them as the needles again rise to latch clearing level. If the timing is incorrect and a second needle starts drawing its stitch 'before the first needle completes its stitch drawing movement, not only are stitches drawn to incorrect lengths but in many instances the increase in tension applied to the stitch when coupled with the movement of the sinker through the stitch causes it to be broken or severed. Also in this method of drawing stitches, it sometimes occurs that when changing from one size yarn to another, the necessary change in loop length cannot be obtained by vertical adjustment of the stitch cam so that the height of the sinkers must also be changed.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide means in a circular knitting machine for overcoming the above mentioned and other difliculties encountered in the formation of knitted fabric.
Another object of the invention is the provision of cam means in a circular knitting machine for controlling the stitch drawing movements of the needles whereby the tension exerted by the needle on a stitch is relieved prior to the stitch drawing operation of the next needle.
-A further object of the invention is the provision of 3,995,717 Patented July 2, 1963 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 construction and cooperation of parts, as hereinafter more particularly pointed out in the claims.
In the drawings:
{FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of a stitch cam for a circular knitting machine in accordance with the instant invention;
FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 are views illustrating the relation between the needles and sinkers during certain phases of their operation to form loops of a knitted fabric; and
FIG. 5 is an elevational view of the needles and sinkers as seen from the right of FIG. 2 illustrating the operating relations of the needles indicated in FIG. 1 with the sinkers cooperating therewith.
The needle operating cam structure of the instant invention is preferably associated with a machine having both rotary and reciprocatory motion of the type in which independently operated latch needles are moved to draw stitches over the upper surfaces of the sinkers such as that disclosed in my co-pending application Serial No. 329,801, filed January 6, 1953, and in the corresponding British Patent No. 790,141, published February 5, 1958 and hereinafter referred to collectively as the Coile disclosure.
Referring to FIG. -1 of the drawing, there is shown a cam assembly 10 for operating needles 11 to draw yarn in forming loops of a fabric and including an upper cam 12 and a lower or guard cam 15. ,The upper cam 12 is provided with inclined draw-down surfaces 16 which are adapted to engage butt portions 14 of the needles 11 to draw them downwardly during both rotary and reciprocatory movements of the machine. The surfaces 16 incline inwardly and downwardly toward each other to merge with outer ends of short lower horizontal surfaces 17 which act on the butts 14 to position the needles 11 at their maximum stitch drawing level. Intermediate the surfaces 17, the cam 12 is provided with inclined surfaces 22 extending outwardly and upwardly from an apex 25 to merge with inclined surfaces 26 extending inwardly and upwardly from inner ends of the surfaces 17 of the cam. The apex 25 is suitably spaced below the level of the surfaces 17 to draw the needles downwardly to a lower position during the formation of the loops as hereinafter set forth.
(The guard cam is provided with an upper horizontal surface 27 which lies parallel to the surfaces 17 of the cam 12 and which is spaced therefrom to provide clearance for the passage of the butts 14 of the needles. Inclined surfaces 28 which extend inwardly and downwardly from the surface 27 to meet at a point opposite to the apex 25, act to control the position of the needles 11 as they pass beneath the cam 12. The cam 12 and guard cam 15 are secured to a support member, indicated in dot-and-dash outline at 30, by screws 31, the support member being mounted for movements in the same manner as the cams in said Coile disclosure to change the position of the cams in drawing stitches of different lengths.
During both rotary and reciprocatory movements of the machine, the needles 11, after being raised to the latch clearing level, are lowered to receive yarn and then engage an inclined surface 16 of the cam 12 to be drawn downwardly to the level of a surface 17 (FIGS. 1 and 5) to draw or measure the yarn for the new stitches over upper surfaces or nibs 32 of a pair of sinkers 35 (FIG. 2) associated with each needle. As the needles continue to move, the butts thereof ride ofi of the surface 17 thereby relieving the tension in the stitches. At this time the leading sinker of the pair of sinkers is moved to withdraw its nib 32 from the stitch. As the needles continue to move, the needle butts engage the surface 22 and the needles are lowered to the level of the apex 25 to pull or draw the newly drawn stitches over knockover surfaces 37 of the sinkers (FIG. 3) which hold the previously formed stitches as the new stitches are knitted therethrough. Immediately following movement of the needles 11 to the level of the apex 25, they are raised by the inclined surface 28 of the guard cam 15 to the level of surface 27 of the guard cam 15 to thereby relieve the tension on the new stitches as the sinkers 35 are advanced to catch and hold the new stitches in throat portions 40 of the sinkers when the needles are again raised to latch clearing level as indicated in FIG. 4.
It will be obvious that with the cam structure of the instant invention, the tension exerted on the stitches by the needles both at the initial stitch drawing level and at the knockover level is relieved to permit the sinkers to move freely through the stitches. Further, the additional downward movement of the needles to draw the stitches over the knockover surfaces of the sinkers acts to equalize the yarn in the stitches thereby insuring the formation of stitches of uniform length.
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 disclosed and hereinafter claimed.
I claim:
1. In a circular knitting machine having independent latch needles adapted to be operated in both rotary and reciprocatory movements of the machine and sinkers cooperating with said needles, said sinkers having upper stitch drawing surfaces and lower knockover surfaces, in combination with a stitch cam having upper straight needle draw-down surfaces for moving said needles to draw yarn stitches over the upper surfaces of said sinkers during reciprocatory movements of said needles in opposite directions, straight lower horizontal surfaces into which each of said draw-down surfaces merges, and corresponding to the maximum depth to which said needles are moved to draw said stitches, a portion intermediate said horizontal surfaces having :draw-down surfaces for moving said needles to draw 'said stitches onto the knockover surfaces of said sinkers during reciprocatory movement of said needles in opposite directions, and upwardly inclined surfaces joining the inner ends of said horizontal surfaces to said draw-down surfaces of said intermediate portion, said upwardly inclined surfaces acting on said needles to relieve the tension in the stitches between the draw-down movements of said needles by said upper draw-down surfaces and said drawadown surfaces of said intermediate portion.
2. In a circular knitting machine having independent latch needles and sinkers cooperating with said needles, said sinkers having an upper stitch drawing surface and a lower knockover surface, in combination with a stitch cam having an upper downwardly extending needle drawdown surface for drawing yarn stitches over the upper surfaces of said sinkers, a straight horizontal surface merging with the lower end of said draw-down surface, a second needle draw-down surface extending upwardly from a point below the level of said horizontal surface for drawing said yarn stitches onto said knockover surfaces of said sinkers, and an upwardly inclined surface joining the inner end of said horizontal surface and the upper end of said second draw-down surface, said upwandly inclined surface acting on said needles to relieve the tension in the stitches between the draw-down movements of said needles by said upper and second draw-down surfaces of said cam.
References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 20,423 Robaczunski June 22, 1937 521,367 Gilbert June 12, 1894 1,183,604 Swinglehurst May 16, 1916 1,209,256 Bosworth Dec. 19, 1916 1,209,257 Bosworth Dec. 19, 1916 1,813,849 Guillemot July 7, 1931 2,043,852 Holmes June 9, 1936 2,762,213 Schurich Sept. 11, 1956

Claims (1)

1. IN A CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE HAVING INDEPENDENT LATCH NEEDLES ADAPTED TO BE OPERATED IN BOTH ROTARY AND RECIPROCATORY MOVEMENTS OF THE MACHINE AND SINKERS COOPERATING WITH SAID NEEDLES, SAID SINKERS HAVING UPPER STITCH DRAWING SURFACES AND LOWER KNOCKOVER SURFACES, IN COMBINATION WITH A STITCH CAM HAVING UPPER STRAIGHT NEEDLE DRAW-DOWN SURFACES FOR MOVING SAID NEEDLES TO DRAW YARN STITCHES OVER THE UPPER SURFACES OF SAID SINKERS DURING RECIPROCATORY MOVEMENTS OF SAID NEEDLES IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS, STRAIGHT LOWER HORIZONTAL SURFACES INTO WHICH EACH OF SAID DRAW-DOWN SURFACES MERGES, AND CORRESPONDING TO THE MAXIMUM DEPTH TO WHICH SAID NEEDLES ARE MOVED TO DRAW SAID STITCHES, A PORTION INTERMEDIATE SAID HORIZONTAL SURFACES HAVING DRAW-DOWN SURFACES FOR MOVING SAID NEEDLES TO DRAW SAID STITCHES ONTO THE KNOCKOVER SURFACES OF SAID SINKERS DURING RECIPROCATORY MOVEMENT OF SAID NEEDLES IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS, AND UPWARDLY INCLINED SURFACES JOINING THE INNER ENDS OF SAID HORIZONTAL SURFACES TO SAID DRAW-DOWN SURFACES OF SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTION, SAID INWARDLY INCLINED SURFACES ACTING ON SAID NEEDLES TO RELIEVE THE TENSION IN THE STITCHES BETWEEN THE DRAWN-DOWN MOVEMENTS OF SAID NEEDLES BY SAID UPPER DRAW-DOWN SURFACES OF SAID DRAW-DOWN SURFACES OF SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTION.
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Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3421344A (en) * 1965-12-22 1969-01-14 North American Rockwell High-speed knitting machine
US3435636A (en) * 1966-02-28 1969-04-01 Ver Feinstrumpfwerke Veb Stitch cam and method of knitting semidrawn yarn

Citations (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US521367A (en) * 1894-06-12 Cam for knitting-machines
US1183604A (en) * 1911-07-13 1916-05-16 Scott & Williams Inc Cam mechanism for knitting-machines.
US1209256A (en) * 1915-06-29 1916-12-19 Hemphill Mfg Co Knitting-machine.
US1209257A (en) * 1915-06-29 1916-12-19 Hemphill Mfg Co Knitting-machine.
US1813849A (en) * 1925-10-01 1931-07-07 Scott & Williams Inc Method and apparatus for forming knitted loops in hosiery machines
US2043852A (en) * 1934-09-20 1936-06-09 Wildt & Co Ltd Knitting machine
USRE20423E (en) * 1937-06-22 Knitting machine
US2762213A (en) * 1952-09-04 1956-09-11 Karl Steinhof Hand knitting appliance

Patent Citations (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US521367A (en) * 1894-06-12 Cam for knitting-machines
USRE20423E (en) * 1937-06-22 Knitting machine
US1183604A (en) * 1911-07-13 1916-05-16 Scott & Williams Inc Cam mechanism for knitting-machines.
US1209256A (en) * 1915-06-29 1916-12-19 Hemphill Mfg Co Knitting-machine.
US1209257A (en) * 1915-06-29 1916-12-19 Hemphill Mfg Co Knitting-machine.
US1813849A (en) * 1925-10-01 1931-07-07 Scott & Williams Inc Method and apparatus for forming knitted loops in hosiery machines
US2043852A (en) * 1934-09-20 1936-06-09 Wildt & Co Ltd Knitting machine
US2762213A (en) * 1952-09-04 1956-09-11 Karl Steinhof Hand knitting appliance

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3421344A (en) * 1965-12-22 1969-01-14 North American Rockwell High-speed knitting machine
US3435636A (en) * 1966-02-28 1969-04-01 Ver Feinstrumpfwerke Veb Stitch cam and method of knitting semidrawn yarn

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