GB2143857A - Circular knitting machine - Google Patents

Abstract

This invention relates to a circular knitting machine for the production of hosiery and the like goods, provided with the means for reciprocatory knitting and with swingably arranged sinker ring cover. The invention solves the problem of positive turning of the sinker ring cover in the places of reversing during reciprocatory running of the machine. This may be done by providing a rotary cam (15) and a follower roller (131) on an arm (130) of a gear segment (13), the gear segment (13) being in mesh with a gear mechanically coupled via another gear (10) with the sinker ring cover. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Circular Knitting Machine This invention relates to a circular knitting machine for the production of hosiery and the like goods.

In known circular knitting machines for the production of hosiery goods with reciprocatorily knitted heels or toes there occurs a change-over or radial swing of the sinker ring cover due to friction during reciprocatory knitting, for the purpose of correct extension of the knock over sinkers with regard to the knock. over points in both directions of knitting. A disadvantage of this arrangement are large shocks originating in the moment of stopping the cover on a fix stop, especially in machines where a larger swing of the cover is necessary. This arrangement further limits the speed of reciprocatory knitting.

The object of this invention is to eliminate the above mentioned disadvantages.

According to the invention there is provided a circular knitting machine for the production of hosiery and the like goods, comprising means for reciprocatory knitting, a swingably arranged sinker ring cover, and a device for positive turning of the sinker ring cover in the places of reversing during reciprocatory run of the machine.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 illustrates a schematic layout of the sinker ring cover drive in the position for rotary run of the machine; Fig. 2 illustrates the same as Fig. 1, but in the position for reciprocatory run of the machine; and Fig. 3 shows a partial axial section through the needle cylinder and the sinker ring with illustrated cover drive.

A known single cylinder circular knitting machine for the production of hosiery goods with reciprocatorily knitted heel or toe, is provided with a needle cylinder 1 (Fig. 3), in the tricks of which there are located needles 2 and further not shown jacks to select them. Knock over sinkers 3 cooperate with needles 2 when forming the stitches, the knock over sinkers 3 are slidably movable in the sinker ring 4, which is fixedly arranged on the needle cylinder 1. Knock over sinkers 3 are controlled by the sinker cam rings 5, 6, fixedly arranged in the cover 7 of the sinker ring 4. Cover 7 rolls on balls 8 of the bearing in the sinker ring 4. A gear ring 9 is fixed to cover 7 from below the gear ring 9 being in mesh with the gear 10 fixedly arranged on vertical shaft 11.On the lower part of the shaft 11 there is a further gear 12 meshing with the gear segment 13 mounted swingably on the flange 14 of the machine. The shaft 11 is located rotatably in the flange 14 and in the holder 1 6. On the arm 130 (Fig. 1) of the gear segment 13 there is arranged a roller 131 cooperating with a rotary cam 15, which rotates twice slower than the needle cylinder 1 , the drive of said rotary cam 1 5 is taken from said needle cylinder 1. The cam 1 5 is composed of two arcuate edges 150 and 152 of maximum and minimum radius and two interconnecting edges 151 and 153.The difference between the radii of edges 1 50 and 1 52 gives the swing of the gear segment 1 3. A tension spring 1 32 is fixed to the arm of the gear segment 13 with the gearing. The other end of said tension spring 1 32 is fixed to the not shown frame of the machine. With the arm 130 is associated an arresting lever 1 7 controlled by a tie rod 17' and by a further not shown connection from the control drum of the machine.

The machine is provided with a known, not shown, reciprocatory mechanism connected with the needle cylinder 1 and further the machine is provided with two knitting feeds which are arranged for reciprocatory knitting. For the purpose of extending the knock over sinkers 3, the cam rings 5 and 6 are designed so that in the place of the first knitting feed, the interior ring 5 is provided with edges 51 and 52 and the exterior ring is provided with edges 61 and 62, and in the place of the second knitting feed with edges 53 and 54 and edges 63 and 64. In the places denoted I and Ill there are the knock over points of the first and of the second knitting feed for the direction S of rotary knitting and in the places denoted II and IV there are the knock over points for reciprocatory direction of knitting.The cover 7 is arranged swingably within the extent of angle B, which corresponds to the angular difference between the knock over points I and II, or III and IV.

The operation of the above described device is the following. During rotary knitting, when the stitches are formed in the places I and Ill of the knock over points, the cover 7 is in the position according to Fig. 1 and the edges 51, 62 and 53 and 64 control the knock over sinkers 3 and extend them only in said places. The arresting lever 17 raises the arm 130 so that the roller 131 is above the greatest radius of the cam 1 5, the greatest radius being represented by the edge 1 50 between the points A and B. The gear segment 1 3 is swung to the right and holds the cover 7 in already described position according to Fig. 1.

When changing from rotary knitting to reciprocatory knitting, the arresting lever 17 releases the arm 130 of the gear segment 13 and the roller 131 bears due to the action of the spring 132 against the edge 1 50. In the place of reversing, when the rotation of the needle cylinder 1 in the direction S stops and the rotation in opposite direction begins, the roller 131 follows, due to the action of the spring 132, the edge 151 of the cam 1 5 between the points A and D to the edge 1 52 of minimum radius of the cam 1 5.This motion of the gear segment 13 is transmitted up to the cover 7, which is turned through angle B, so that the edges 51, 52, 61 and 62, or the edges 53, 54, 63 and 64 move from the places denoted I or Ill of the knock over points to the places denoted il and IV, which are the positions suitable to extend the knock over sinkers 3 for this direction of knitting, as shown in Fig. 2. The knock over sinkers are now controlled by the edges 54 and 52 and the edges 63 and 61. The cover 7 is held in this position within the time of rotation in the direction opposite to the direction S, for the time within which the roller 131 follows the edge 1 52. In the other place of reverse of the needle cylinder 1, the edge 1 53 of the cam 1 5 begins to move the roller 131 again and consequently the arm 130 and the gear segment 13 return to the original position, while also the cover 7 is turned back and controls the knock over sinkers 3 in the above described way.

When changing to rotary knitting, in the moment when the roller 131 stays on the edge 150 of the cam 15, the arresting lever 17 is moved into the original position and the control of the gear segment 13 and of the cover 7 is thus disengaged.

The advantage of this invention is the fact, that it enables a shock-less change of the cover positions, especially in the machine with larger swing and especially at higher speed of knitting.

The stops are also eliminated and the difference between the maximum and minimum radii of the cam gives the swing of the sinker ring cover.

Claims (5)

1. Circular knitting machine for the production of hosiery and the like goods, comprising means for reciprocatory knitting, a swingably arranged sinker ring cover, and a device for positive turning of the sinker ring cover in the places of reversing during reciprocatory run of the machine.

2. Circular knitting machine according to Claim 1, wherein the device comprises a rotary cam, with which is associated an arm of a gear segment with a roller, the gear segment being in mesh with a gear mechanically coupled with the sinker ring cover.

3. Circular knitting machine according to Claim 2, wherein the arm of the gear segment with the roller is associated with an arresting lever controlled from the control drum of the machine for the purpose of locking the gear segment out of contact with the arm.

4. Circular knitting machine according to Claim 2 or 3, wherein the cam design comprises arcuate edges of maximum and minimum radii and two edges interconnecting said arcuate edges.

5. Circular knitting machine substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.