Apparatus for transferring knitted fabric from circular knitting machine

A cylindrically knitted fabric is produced in a knitting region adjacent to the top of a needle cylinder of a knitting machine. The knitted fabric is guided downward around a conical nozzle and fed downward in a twisting-preventive guide cylinder rotating in synchronism with the needle cylinder. Air is ejected downward from air openings around the conical nozzle so that the knitted fabric is moved downward. Air is ejected downward from the nozzle into the cylindrical knitted fabric, which is thereby pressed against the inner surface of the guide cylinder. Upon being thus delivered from the bottom of the guide cylinder without contamination and twist, the knitted fabric is received on a conical gripper and is then conveyed by a pickup mechanism to a next processing step for producing socks, panty hose or tights.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to an apparatus for transferring a knitted 
fabric from a circular knitting machine while preventing twisting of the 
knitted fabric which is a cylindrical fabric used to produce socks, panty 
hose, tights or the like. 
Japanese Patent Publication No. 47-20587 published Jun. 10, 1972 discloses 
an apparatus for taking out a cylindrically knitted fabric knitted by a 
circular knitting machine. The apparatus comprises an upright hollow guide 
cylinder disposed concentrically within the needle cylinder so as to 
rotate in synchronism with the needle cylinder. The guide cylinder is 
perforated, and a cylindrically knitted fabric produced in the knitting 
region adjacent to the top portion of the needle cylinder is fed downward 
within the guide cylinder to be delivered through a bottom opening of the 
guide cylinder. There is provided a suction device that evacuates air 
around the perforated guide cylinder to cause the cylindrically knitted 
fabric to be pressed against the inner surface of the guide cylinder. The 
suction is exerted from a lateral side of the guide cylinder, as will be 
described in detail hereinafter. 
In the known apparatus described above, the knitted fabric being fed 
downward under suction tends to be biased and sucked against only a 
lateral portion of the inner wall of the perforated guide cylinder because 
of the exertion of the suction from only a lateral side. As a result, the 
knitted fabric within the guide cylinder is urged only partially onto the 
inner wall of the guide cylinder while being fed downward due to the 
weight of the succeeding part of the fabric. This often causes rubbing of 
the fabric on the guide cylinder and on a gear box in the vicinity of the 
lower portion of the guide cylinder. As a result of this, the knitted 
fabric is contaminated and damaged with consequent twisting and 
degradation thereof. 
Furthermore, in the known apparatus described above, the knitted fabrics 
fed downward through the guide cylinder are dropped through the bottom 
opening of the guide cylinder and are then stored in a storage box 
provided below the bottom opening. The fabrics stored in the storage box 
must be manually picked up to convey them to a next processing step for 
producing socks, panty hose or tights. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is therefore an object of the present invention to eliminate the above 
stated problems and to provide an apparatus for reliably transferring a 
knitted fabric from a circular knitting machine without contamination, 
damage, twisting and degradation of the fabric. 
The present invention also aims at providing an apparatus of the above kind 
wherein the knitted fabrics can be reliably transferred to a next 
processing step without manual labor. 
According to the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for 
transferring a knitted fabric from a circular knitting machine having a 
rotating upright needle cylinder carrying knitting needles, and a dial 
mechanism provided above the top of the needle cylinder, said needle 
cylinder having therein an upright hollow guide cylinder which rotates in 
synchronism with the needle cylinder and through which a cylindrical 
fabric knitted in a knitting region adjacent to the top of the needle 
cylinder is fed downward, and means for pneumatically drawing the knitted 
fabric against the inner surface of the cylindrical guide, said apparatus 
comprising a conical air nozzle provided in the top of the needle cylinder 
concentrically therewith and having a downwardly converging frustoconical 
outer surface, said nozzle being so disposed directly below said knitting 
region as to guide the cylindrically knitted fabric downward along and 
around said frustoconical outer surface and as to eject air downward into 
the cylindrically knitted fabric to pneumatically urge the fabric against 
the inner surface of the guide cylinder; opening means provided around 
said air nozzle for blowing air downwardly to cause the cylindrically 
knitted fabric around the air nozzle to be pneumatically moved downward; 
and knitted fabric pickup means provided below the needle cylinder for 
picking up the knitted fabric deposited below said guide cylinder and for 
transferring the fabric away from the knitting machine. 
The present invention will be described in detail hereinbelow with 
reference to the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Prior to the description of the preferred embodiments of the present 
invention, the above described apparatus for transferring knitted fabrics 
from a knitting machine will be briefly described. 
Referring to FIG. 18, an outer body b in the form of a cylinder is disposed 
upright at a base portion of a supporting frame a of a circular knitting 
machine, and a conventional needle cylinder c is rotatably fitted in the 
upper end portion of the outer body b. The needle cylinder has a plurality 
of longitudinally extended grooves and knitting needles d are fitted into 
the respective grooves in such a way that the needles d can vertically 
slide by a cam mechanism (not shown). Disposed at the upper stroke end of 
the needles d are conventional sinkers e in such a way that they are 
caused to slide in radial directions by sinker cams in union with the 
vertical movement of the needles d. Furthermore, a conventional dial 
mechanism f is mounted on a machine frame (not shown) immediately above 
the cylinder c in such a way that it can rotate in synchronism with the 
needle cylinder c. 
A frusto-conical guide cylinder g is mounted on a cover b1 of the outer 
body b in such a way that the knitted fabric knitted by the co-action of 
the knitting needles d and the sinker e is guided. Connected to a portion 
of the outer body b located below the guide cylinder g is a horizontally 
extended suction pipe h with a suction port h1 so that air is drawn 
outwardly. A gear box i is mounted at the lower end of the outer body b 
and bearings j1 and j2 are mounted on upper portions of the gear box i and 
the outer body b. A perforated guide cylinder m integral with a gear k is 
rotatably supported by the bearings j1 and j2, and a large number of air 
holes m1 formed through the cylindrical wall of the perforated guide 
cylinder are communicated with the suction port h1 so that air is sucked 
and discharged to the exterior. A pinion is in mesh with the gear k which 
rotates the perforated guide cylinder m in synchronism with the rotation 
of the cylinder c. The lower end portion of the gear box i is connected to 
a discharge pipe o through which the knitted fabric W is guided toward a 
storage box (not shown). 
In the knitting operation, the above-described apparatus, knitted fabrics 
such as socks, panty hose, tights or the like are guided downwardly 
through the guide cylinder g, and the gear k is rotated through the pinion 
in the gear box i in synchronism with the rotation of the needle cylinder 
c, while air is evacuated through the air port h1 of the suction pipe h. 
Consequently, each knitted fabric is withdrawn into the lower discharge 
pipe o while the knitted fabric is being sucked against the inner 
cylindrical wall surface of the perforated guide cylinder m. 
In the apparatus for transferring knitted fabrics of the type described 
above, the air holes m1 formed through the perforated guide cylinder m are 
communicated with the suction port h1 so that when the knitted fabric W 
approaches the inner wall surface of the guide cylinder m, it is biased 
and sucked on a lateral portion of the wall surface of the guide cylinder 
m so that part of the knitted fabric W is sucked laterally outwardly 
through the air holes m1 and then is fed downward due to the weight of the 
succeeding part of the knitted fabric. As a result, the knitted fabric is 
rubbed within the gear box i in the vicinity of the lower end portion of 
the perforated guide cylinder m so that part of the knitted fabric is 
contaminated and damaged and consequently the knitted fabric is twisted 
and degraded in quality. 
The present invention has been made to overcome the above and other 
problems encountered in the conventional apparatus and will become 
apparent from a description of preferred embodiments below. 
Referring first to FIG. 1, the knitting machine shown has a machine frame 
1. As shown in FIG. 2, a bearing 2 is disposed at the center portion 1a of 
the machine frame 1 in such a way that the bearing 2 can be vertically 
moved by a cam mechanism (not shown). A bevel gear 3 is rotatably 
supported by the bearing 2, and a driving gear 4 in mesh with the bevel 
gear 3 is securely carried by a drive shaft 4a which in turn is rotatably 
supported by the machine frame 1, whereby the driving gear 4 in mesh with 
the bevel gear 3 rotates the gear 3. The bevel gear 3 has a hollow 
cylindrical portion 3a integral and coaxial therewith. A conventional 
needle cylinder 5 is rotatably fitted through a sliding key 6 over the 
cylindrical portion 3a so as to be slidable in the axial direction (that 
is, in the vertical direction). A large number of needle grooves 7 are 
formed on the outer cylindrical surface of the needle cylinder 5 so as to 
extend in the lengthwise direction of the cylinder. Conventional jacks 
(not shown) and knitting needles 8 are vertically slidably fitted in the 
respective needle grooves 7. The needle cylinder 5 is fitted in such a way 
that it can be rotated and can be vertically moved by means of the bearing 
2 which can be vertically moved by the cam mechanism and through a 
plurality of raising rods 9. A known raising cam (not shown) is mounted on 
the machine frame at a position below the path of rotation of the lower 
ends of the jacks in such a way that the jacks and the knitting needles 8 
will be vertically moved together. A conventional sinker bed 10 is mounted 
on the upper end of the needle cylinder 5 and a number of sinker grooves 
are formed on the surface of the sinker bed 10 so as to extend in radial 
directions with respect to the axis of the needle cylinder 5. Each sinker 
11 for knitting the stitches is loosely fitted in each sinker groove and 
is slidably moved toward and away from the axis of the needle cylinder 5 
by a sinker cam 13 of a sinker cap 12 disposed on an upper table fixed to 
the machine frame 1. 
A patterning device (needle selecting device) 14 is disposed at the outer 
portion of the machine frame 1 in opposing relationship with the jacks. 
A dial cap 16 of a conventional dial mechanism 15 is coaxially fitted over 
a hollow shaft 1b of the machine frame 1, extending upwardly beyond the 
needle cylinder 5. A rotary hollow shaft 17 is fitted in a hollow shaft 1b 
inside a hollow shaft 16a of the dial cap 16 in such a way that the shaft 
17 can be rotated in synchronism with the needle cylinder 5. An air supply 
passage 18 is defined within the shaft 17. A dial 19 is extended 
horizontally from the rotary hollow shaft 17 to an extent above the outer 
periphery of the needle cylinder 5. A conventional transfer jack 20 is 
attached to an outer end portion of the dial 19. The dial cap 16 and the 
dial 19 immediately above the transfer jack 20 are equipped with a yarn 
cutter 21 consisting of a stationary cutter and a movable circular cutter 
so as to cut the trailing end of the yarn. 
A transmission gear 22 is securely carried by the upper portion of the 
rotary hollow shaft 17 to rotate the same in synchronism with the needle 
cylinder 5. A pipe joint 23 is loosely fitted through a sealing member at 
the upper end of the rotary hollow shaft 17, and a supply pipe 24 of the 
pipe joint 23 is communicated through a solenoid control valve 25 with a 
compressed air source 26. 
An outer cylinder 27 and an inner cylinder 28, which are extended coaxially 
and define an air passage 29 therebetween, are mounted on a holder 1c 
fixed to an inner lower end of the machine frame 1. A portion of the 
holder 1c located below the lower ends of the outer and inner cylinders 27 
and 28 has connected thereto an air supply conduit 30 for supplying 
compressed air. Formed through an upper connecting member 31 between the 
outer and inner cylinders 27 and 28 are openings 32 for blowing air 
downwardly so as to move the cylindrically knitted fabric W downward. A 
bearing case 33 is fixed to the lower portion of the holder 1c for housing 
bearings 34. A short hollow shaft 36 integral with a twisting-preventive 
guide cylinder 35 is supported by the bearings 34 in such a way that the 
short hollow shaft 36 will be rotatable in unison with the needle cylinder 
5. The upper portion 35a of the twisting-preventive guide cylinder 35 is 
extended upwardly as high as the upper portion of the inner cylinder 28 
and is fixed thereat. A pulley 36a is fixedly mounted to the short hollow 
shaft 36 and is coupled through a timing belt 39 to the output shaft 38a 
of a stepper motor 38 mounted on a supporting stand 37 extending from the 
holder 1c. 
The dial 19 of the dial cap 16 is connected to a conical nozzle 40 best 
shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The nozzle 40 communicates with the air supply 
passage 18 so that the air can be ejected downwardly. More specifically, 
the conical nozzle 40 consists of a frustoconical body 41 and a nozzle 
body 42 with a plurality of air ejection passages 43. The nozzle body is 
joined to the frustoconical body 42 by bolt 44. At the lower portion of 
the nozzle body 42, injection openings 45 are provided which are directed 
downwardly and communicated with the injection passages 43. 
Referring back to FIG. 2, the lower ends of the twisting-preventive guide 
cylinder 35 and the short hollow shaft 36 are joined to a disk-shaped 
rotating ring 46, and a plurality (four in FIG. 2) of guide rods 47 depend 
from the lower surface of the rotating ring 46. Also an actuating rod 48 
is extended downwardly beyond the lower ends of the guide rods 47 and 
radially outwardly thereof to engage a L-shaped rod 49a of a vertically 
movable conical holder 49 as will be described in more detail hereinafter. 
The actuating rod 48 and the twisting-preventive guide cylinder 35 are 
adapted to rotate about a conical gripper 49 and its pivot shafts 49b. 
A pneumatic cylinder 51 is supported by a bracket 50 which is fixed to the 
machine frame 1 on the opposite side of the stepper motor 38. A lift ring 
52 is securely joined to the lower end of an output shaft 51a which is 
extended downwardly from the cylinder 51. The lower end of a guide rod 53 
with a topmost stopper flange 53a is securely joined to the lift ring 52. 
The guide rod 53 extends in parallel with the output shaft 51a. Engaging 
projections 52a project radially inwardly from the inner annular 
peripheral surface of the lift ring 52. A circular holding member 54 for 
holding the knitted fabric thereon is rotatably carried on the engaging 
projections 52a in such a manner that the holding member 54 will not drop. 
The guide rods 47 and the actuating rod 48 are loosely fitted vertically 
through the holding ring 54 in such a way that they are movable 
vertically. Furthermore, the holding ring 54 can rotate through the guide 
rods 47 and the actuating rod 48 in unison with the twisting-preventive 
guide cylinder 35 and the short hollow shaft 36. The conical gripper 49 is 
adapted to engage through the knitted fabric W an opening 54a of the 
holding ring 54, thereby gripping or clamping the knitted fabric. 
A pair of first and second sensors S1 and S2 such as proximity switches are 
disposed in the vertical passage of the lift ring 52 and are spaced apart 
from each other by a suitable distance, thereby limiting the vertical 
stroke of the lift ring 52. Furthermore, a third sensor S3 such as a 
proximity switch is disposed to detect the lower portion Wa of the knitted 
fabric W. In response to an output signal from the third sensor S3, the 
pneumatic cylinder 51 is actuated to move the lift ring 52 and the holding 
ring 54 downwardly so that the opening 54a of the holding ring 54 will 
engage the conical gripper 49 through the knitted fabric W, thereby 
gripping or clamping the knitted fabric W. 
Next the mode of operation of the first embodiment with the above-described 
construction will be described. 
It is now assumed that stockings, panty hose or tights are to be knitted. 
The driving force generated by a driving power source drives the driving 
gear 4 mounted on the drive shaft 4a whereby the bevel gear 3 in mesh with 
the driving gear 4 is rotated, and consequently the needle cylinder 5 
coupled to the bevel gear 3 with the sliding key is rotated. The needle 
cylinder 5 causes the knitting needles 8 to vertically reciprocate and by 
the cooperation with the sinkers 11 and the dial mechanism 15, yarns 
supplied from cones are knitted into stockings, panty hose or tights by 
the conventional knitting method. The knitted fabric W is guided downward 
into the twisting-preventive guide cylinder 35. 
Meanwhile, compressed air supplied through the supply conduit 30 is 
supplied through the air passage 29 and blown through the opening 32 
downward. On the other hand, the stepper motor 38 is also energized so 
that the output shaft 38a of the stepper motor 38 drives through the 
timing belt 39 the pulley 36a which in turn drives the twisting-preventive 
guide cylinder 35 in synchronism with the needle cylinder 5, whereby the 
knitted fabric W is prevented from being twisted. 
Simultaneously with the transfer of the cylindrically knitted fabric W into 
the twisting-preventive guide cylinder 35, the compressed air supplied 
from the air supply conduit 30 is sent upwardly through the passage 29 and 
blown through the openings 32 downward so that the fabric W is moved 
downward. When the solenoid operated valve 25 is opened, the compressed 
air from the compressed air source 26 is supplied to the air supply 
passage 18 in the dial cap 16 of the dial mechanism 15 and is caused to 
blow downwardly through the downwardly-directed nozzle opening 45 of the 
conical nozzle 40, thereby forcing the knitted fabric W against the inner 
surface of the twisting-preventive guide cylinder 35 which is rotating in 
synchronism with the needle cylinder 5. 
When the lower portion (the portion first knitted) Wa of the knitted fabric 
W drops down to a position in the vicinity of the L-shaped rod 49a of the 
conical gripper 49 which is vertically movable, the third sensor S3 
detects the lower portion Wa and in response to the detection signal from 
the sensor S3, the pneumatic cylinder 51 is actuated so that its output 
shaft 51a is moved downward while being guided by the guide rod 53. 
Therefore, the opening 54a of the holding ring 54 engages the conical 
gripper 49 through the knitted fabric W, whereby the fabric W is gripped 
or clamped. The holding ring 54 and the conical gripper 49 are rotated in 
synchronism with the rotation of the twisting-preventive guide cylinder 35 
through the actuating rod 48. 
In the above-described manner, the knitted fabric W is deposited below the 
twisting-preventive guide cylinder 35, and a knitting cycle is finished. 
Then the pneumatic cylinder 51 is actuated in such a way that its output 
shaft 51a is moved upward while being guided by the guide rod 53. 
Thereupon, the upper limit of the vertical stroke of the lift ring 52 is 
detected by the second sensor S2, and, in response to the detection signal 
from the sensor S2, the operation of the cylinder 51 for retracting its 
output shaft 51a is stopped whereby the lift ring 52 is stopped at the 
upper limit of its stroke. Then the knitted fabric W is pulled downward 
through the opening 54a of the holding ring 54 along the outer surface of 
the conical gripper 49. Therefore, the knitted fabric W is prevented from 
being contaminated, damaged and further twisted so that the quality of the 
knitted fabric is improved. 
Thereafter, the knitted fabric deposited below the twisting-preventive 
guide cylinder 35 is taken up by a knitted fabric pickup device to be 
described hereinafter, to be transferred to the following processing step 
where, for instance, the crotch portion of panty hose is stitched to the 
cylindrical knitted fabric. 
As shown in FIGS. 1, 5, 6 and 7, a holding frame 55, L-shaped in horizontal 
section, extends horizontally from, and fixed to the machine frame 1 at a 
position below the holding ring 54, and a square through hole 55b is 
formed through a bent portion 55a of the holding frame 55. Two guide 
roller pairs 56 are provided, each pair consisting of an upper guide 
roller 56a and a lower guide roller 56b spaced apart from each other in 
the vertical direction by a suitable distance. The roller pairs 56 are 
spaced apart in the horizontal direction from each other by a suitable 
distance and are rotatably supported by guide roller shafts extended from 
one side surface of the holding frame 55. Those guide roller pairs 56 
serve to guide reciprocal horizontal motion of a slider 57 with a stopper 
57a at its one end. An inverted-U-shaped block 58 is securely joined to 
the other end of the slider 57 opposite to the stopper 57a. A horizontal 
pneumatic cylinder 59 is securely attached at one end thereof to the bent 
portion 55a of the holding frame 55 through a mounting member 60, and the 
output shaft 59a of the pneumatic cylinder 59 is connected to the block 58 
by means of a connecting pin 61. 
Therefore, when the pneumatic cylinder 59 is actuated, the slider 57 
connected to the output shaft 59a of the cylinder 59 is caused to 
reciprocally slide in the horizontal direction. 
A vertical pneumatic cylinder 62 is securely joined to the bottom portion 
of the bifurcated portion 58a of the block 58, and an output shaft 62a of 
the vertical cylinder 62 is connected at an intermediate portion of a 
horizontal supporting rod 63 from which is extended upwardly a supporting 
shaft 49b of the conical gripper 49. The upper ends of a pair of guide 
rods 64 are securely joined to the horizontal supporting rod 63. The guide 
rods 64 extend through the block 58 in parallel with the vertical cylinder 
62, to allow vertical sliding movement of the block 58 along the guide 
rods 64. An angularly bent lower stopper 64a is formed at the lower end of 
one of the guide rods 64. An upper stopper 64b is securely joined to one 
end of the horizontal supporting rod 63. As best shown in FIG. 5, a fourth 
sensor S4 and a fifth sensor S5 such as proximity switches are mounted on 
the block 58 along a path of vertical movement of the lower and upper 
stoppers 64a and 64b. The fourth and fifth sensors S4 and S5 limit the 
extent of vertical stroke of the conical gripper 49 supported by the 
horizontal supporting rod 63. 
When the vertical pneumatic cylinder 62 is actuated, its output shaft 62a 
is shifted vertically under guidance by the guide rods 64 to vertically 
shift the conical gripper 49, while the fourth and fifth sensors S4 and S5 
limit the extent of the vertical stroke of the conical gripper 49. 
As best shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, a mount 65 is adjustably secured to the 
machine frame 1 below the knitted-fabric holding ring 54, and an actuator 
66 such as a rotary actuator is horizontally mounted on one side of the 
mount 65. As best shown in FIG. 8, a horizontal shaft 67 in the form of a 
rod square in cross section is securely fitted over an output shaft 66a of 
the actuator 66. The base end of each of a pair of divergently arranged 
legs 68 is pivoted to the horizontal supporting shaft 67 by a pivot pin 69 
in such a way that each leg 68 can pivot in a horizontal plane. One pair 
of sliders 70 is fitted over the free end portion of each leg 68 in such a 
way that the slider pair 70 is movable in the lengthwise direction of each 
leg 68. A pair of pickup rods 71 extend downwardly in such a way that they 
can enter the region surrounded by the L-shaped rods 49a. 
Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 9, a mounting plate 72 is extended from the 
lower side of the horizontal supporting shaft 67 between the pivot pins 
69. A stopper mounting member 73 is horizontally attached to the free end 
of the mounting plate 72 perpendicular to the legs 68. A pair of stoppers 
74a and 74b are attached to each end of the stopper mounting member 73 in 
such a way that they can adjust the angle of pivotal motion of each legs 
68. A leg opening cylinder 75 is interconnected between the legs 68 in the 
vicinity of the stoppers 74a and 74b. 
More specifically, the main body 75a of the cylinder 75 is joined to one of 
the legs 68 by means of a bracket 76 and an output shaft 75b of the 
cylinder 75 is connected to the other leg 68 through a bracket 77 and a 
pin 78. 
As shown in FIG. 5, a pair of sixth and seventh sensors S6 and S7 such as 
proximity switches are mounted on the mount 65 in order to detect the 
terminal positions of pivotal motion (180.degree.) of each leg 68, thereby 
limit the stroke of the output shaft 75b of the cylinder 75. 
It follows therefore that when the actuator 66 is actuated to cause the 
pickup rod pairs 71 to enter the region surrounded by the L-shaped rods 
49a to receive the knitted fabric W, the horizontal supporting shaft 67 
integral with the output shaft 66a of the actuator 66 is rotated through 
180.degree., to rotate the legs 68 from the position indicated by the 
solid lines in FIG. 8 to the position indicated by the two-dot chain lines 
in FIG. 8, whereby the pickup rod pairs 71 enter the inside region of the 
L-shaped rods 49 as shown in FIG. 5. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 10, the 
cylinder 75 is actuated such that its output shaft 75b is extended from 
the cylinder main body 75a until the legs 68 engage their corresponding 
stoppers 74b and are then stopped. As a result, the pickup rod pairs 71 
move out of the region of the L-shaped rods 49a, whereby the knitted 
fabric W is transferred from the L-shaped rod 49a onto the pickup rod 
pairs 71. Next the vertical cylinder 62 is actuated to move the L-shaped 
rods 49a downwardly as shown in FIG. 11, and the knitted fabric W is 
completely received by the pickup rod pairs 71. Thereafter, the rotary 
actuator 66 is actuated in reverse rotation so that the horizontal 
supporting shaft 67 integral with the output shaft 66a of the actuator 66 
is rotated together with the legs 68 in the clockwise direction through 
180.degree. to the initial or home position indicated by the solid lines 
in FIG. 8 and the knitted fabric thus picked up is transferred to the next 
processing step. 
The mode of operation of the knitted-fabric pickup device will be described 
below. 
When the knitted fabric W is received below the twisting-preventive 
cylinder 35 as shown in FIG. 5 and one knitting step has been completed, 
the output shaft 51a of the pneumatic cylinder 51 is retracted upward 
under the guidance by the guide rod 53, whereby the holding ring 54 is 
moved upward. The holding ring 54 is stopped at the upper end of its 
vertical stroke in response to the detection signal from the second sensor 
S2. Then the knitted fabric W deposited below the twisting-preventive 
guide cylinder 35 is picked up by the knitted fabric pickup device to be 
transferred to the next processing step where, for instance, the crotch 
portion of the panty hose is stitched. 
More specifically, as best shown in FIG. 5, the pickup rod pairs 71 enter 
the inside region surrounded by the L-shaped rods 49a holding the knitted 
fabric W to pick up the same. That is, the rotary actuator 66 is 
energized, and the horizontal supporting shaft 67 on the output shaft 66a 
of the actuator 66 is rotated together with the legs 68 through 
180.degree., to cause the pickup rod pairs 71 to enter the inside region 
of the L-shaped rods 49a. Thereafter, as best shown in FIG. 10, the output 
shaft 75b of the cylinder 75 is extended to open the legs 68 and stopped 
when the legs 68 engage their corresponding stoppers 74b, respectively, 
whereby the knitted fabric W is transferred from the L-shaped rods 49a to 
the pickup rod pairs 71. Thereafter the output shaft 62a of the cylinder 
62 is retracted so that the L-shaped rods 49a are moved downward. Then the 
output shaft 59a of the horizontal cylinder 59 is retracted and the rods 
49a are returned to their initial position, whereby the knitted fabric W 
is completely transferred onto the pickup rod pairs 71. 
Thereafter, the rotary actuator 66 is reversed in rotation so that the 
square rod 67 on the output shaft 66a of the actuator 66 is rotated 
together with the legs 67 through 180.degree. in the clockwise direction 
to return to its initial position indicated by the solid lines in FIG. 8. 
Then the knitted fabric W is transferred to the next processing station. 
As described above, after the pickup rod pairs 71 have received the knitted 
fabric W from the L-shaped rods 49a, the rod pairs 71 are rotated through 
180.degree. in the opposite direction to automatically transfer the 
knitted fabric W to the next processing step so that the manual operation 
is eliminated and labor-saving is attained. 
Referring next to FIGS. 12 through 17, a further embodiment of the present 
invention will be described. As shown in FIG. 12, a mount 155 is joined to 
one side of the machine frame 1, and a rotary actuator 156 is horizontally 
mounted on one side of the mount 155. As shown in FIG. 14, the base of a 
swing lever 157 is securely connected to a horizontally extending output 
shaft 156a of the actuator 156 in such a way that when the actuator 156 is 
actuated, the lever 157 is caused to swing through about 120.degree. about 
the axis of the output shaft 156a. A supporting shaft 49b of a conical 
gripper 49 is slidably supported by a frustoconical bearing 157a securely 
attached to the free end of the swing lever 157. Strong and weak coil 
springs 158a and 158b are fitted over the supporting shaft 49b in such a 
way that these springs 158a and 158b are prevented from falling off from 
the supporting shaft 49b and that the degree of freedom can be adjusted in 
the case of the engagement of the conical gripper 49 with the holding ring 
54. The gripper 49 is normally biased rearward by the springs 158a and 
158b. 
A main body 159a of an assisting pneumatic cylinder 159 is pivoted at an 
end 157b of the swing lever 157 with a pivot pin 160, and an output shaft 
159b of the assisting cylinder 159 is pivoted at one end of an assisting 
lever 162 which in turn is pivoted to the midpoint between the ends of the 
swing lever 157 with a pivot pin 161. The other end of the assisting lever 
162 is extended to push forwardly the tail end 49c of the supporting shaft 
49b against the coil springs 158a and 158b. 
When the actuator 156 is energized, its output shaft 156a is rotated 
through about 120.degree. in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 14 so 
that the swing lever 157 which is pivoted to the output shaft 156a is 
rotated about the output shaft 156a in the counterclockwise direction as 
shown in FIG. 15. As a result, the conical gripper 49 integral with the 
supporting shaft 49b supported by the bearing 157a of the swing lever 157 
is inserted into the opening 54a of the knitted-fabric holding ring 54. 
Therefore, as indicated in FIG. 16, the L-shaped rods 49a of the conical 
gripper 49 are brought into engagement with the actuating rod 48 so that 
the conical gripper 49 is rotated in synchronism with the 
twisting-preventive guide cylinder 35 through the actuating rod 48. When 
the assisting cylinder 159 is energized, the assisting lever 162 pushes 
the tail end 49c of the supporting shaft 49b against the coil springs 158a 
and 158b. As a result, the engagement of the conical gripper 49 with the 
opening 54 a of the holding ring 54 through the knitted fabric W can be 
elastically assisted so that the knitted fabric W can be elastically 
supported while the holding ring 54 and the conical gripper 49 are rotated 
in synchronism with the twisting-preventive cylinder 35 through the 
actuating rod 48. 
Meanwhile, as shown in FIGS. 12, 13 and 14, a rotary actuator 163 is 
horizontally mounted on the other side of the mount 155 fixed to the 
machine frame 1. The bases 164a of a pair of horizontal supporting members 
164 are securely joined to the output shaft 163a of the actuator 163 and 
are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance. The bases of 
a pair of legs 165 are pivoted with pivot pins 170, respectively, on the 
upper portions 164b, respectively, of the horizontal supporting members 
164 in such a way that legs 165 can pivot in the horizontal direction. A 
pair of sliders 166 are slidably fitted over the free end portion of each 
leg 165 in such a way that the lengthwise adjustment can be made. A pair 
of pickup rods 167 depend from the slider pair 166 in such a way that they 
can be inserted into region of the L-shaped rods 49a. The pair of the leg 
165 are interconnected by a horizontal pneumatic cylinder 168 for opening 
or closing them, adjacent to the supporting members 164. 
More specifically, the main body 168a of the pneumatic cylinder 168 is 
pivoted with a pivot pin 169a to one of the legs 165 while the output 
shaft 168b of the cylinder 168 is pivoted with a pivot pin 169b to the 
other leg 165. 
When the actuator 163 is energized, the supporting members 164 fixed to the 
output shaft 163a of the actuator 163 are rotated together with the legs 
165 through about 180.degree. in the counterclockwise direction from the 
state indicated in FIG. 14 to the state shown in FIG. 15 so that the 
pickup rods 167 are advanced into the region of the L-shaped rods 49a. 
Thereafter, the cylinder 168 is energized so that its output shaft 168b is 
extended and then stopped when the legs 165 are angularly spaced apart 
from each other by a predetermined angle. As a result, the knitted fabric 
W is transferred from the L-shaped rods 49 to the pickup rods 167. Then 
the actuator 156 is reversed in rotation and the output shaft 159b of the 
assisting cylinder 159 is retracted so that the knitted fabric W is 
completely transferred to the pickup rods 167. When the actuator 163 is 
reversed in rotation, the supporting members 164 mounted on the output 
shaft 163a of the actuator 163 are rotated reversely together with the 
legs 165 through about 180.degree. so that the pair of legs 165 are 
returned to their initial position and the knitted fabric W is transferred 
to the next processing step. 
The mode of operation of this embodiment is as follows. 
It is assumed that the knitted fabric W is deposited below the 
twisting-preventive guide cylinder 35 after one knitting cycle and the 
needle cylinder 5 is stopped. Then, the pneumatic cylinder 51 is energized 
so that its output shaft 51a is moved upward under the guidance by the 
guide rod 53. When it is moved upward to the top end of its vertical 
stroke, this is detected by the second sensor S2 and in response to the 
detection signal therefrom, the upward movement of the output shaft 51a 
and the holding ring 54 is stopped. The knitted fabric W below the 
twisting-preventive guide cylinder 35 is then transferred to the 
knitted-fabric pickup device which in turn transfers it to the next 
processing step. 
In order to transfer the knitted-fabric W, the actuator 163 is energized so 
that the pair of the legs 165 are rotated in the counterclockwise 
direction through about 180.degree. as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16. 
Therefore, the pickup rod pairs 167 are inserted into the region of the 
L-shaped rods 49a. Then, the cylinder 168 is energized so that its output 
shaft 168b is extended and stopped when the legs 165 and the pickup rods 
167 are angularly spaced apart from each other by a predetermined angle. 
As a result, the knitted fabric W is transferred from the L-shaped rods 
49a to the pickup rod pairs 167. Thereafter, when the actuator 156 is 
reversed in rotation to move the conical gripper 49 away and the output 
shaft 159a of the assisting cylinder 159 is retracted, the knitted fabric 
W is completely transferred to the pickup rod pairs 167. Then, when the 
actuator 163 is reversed in rotation, the pair of legs 165 are swung in 
the clockwise direction through about 180.degree. to their initial 
position indicated in FIG. 14, and the knitted fabric W is transferred to 
the next processing step. 
As described above, after the pickup rod pairs 167 have received the 
knitted fabric W from the L-shaped rods 149a, they are swung together with 
the legs 165 through about 180.degree. in the clockwise direction to their 
initial positions, respectively and the knitted fabric is automatically 
transferred to the next processing step. As a result, manual operation can 
be eliminated and the labor saving can be attained.