Patent GB-190112983-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in Knitting Machines
Inventor: JOHNSON JAMES YATE
Filed: 1901-06-25
Granted: 1902-06-05
Abstract: 12,983. Johnson, J. Y., [Scott, R. W., and Williams, L. N. D.]. June 25. Circular knitting-machines.-Relates to improvements in the type of machine described in Specifications No. 11,421, A.D. 1894, No. 14,157, A.D. 1899, and No. 14,277, A.D. 1900. The fast pulley 4 is secured to a hollow shaft'3, which rotates on a shaft 30 carrying the bevel-wheel 26, which gears with a corresponding wheel on the cam cylinder. The loose pulley runs on a hollow boss on the frame 2. On the hollow shaft 3 is a pinion 15 gearing with a spur-wheel 16, which has a crank and connecting-rod 19 for oscillating a toothed sector 21, which gears with a pinion 22 on a sleeve 23, which is connected to, but capable of rotation on, a clutch collar 31, which is splined to the shaft 30 and which has clutch jaws capable of engaging corresponding jaws on the pinion 15. At the other end of the sleeve 23 are clutch jaws 24, capable of engaging corresponding jaws on the spur-wheel 26. When the collar 31 is moved to the right, the cam ring rotates, and, when moved to the left, it reciprocates at a slower speed. The belt fork 6 is guided by two rods 7, 11 sliding in the frame 2, and is caused to shift the belt on to the loose pulley by a spring 9. The belt is shifted to start the machine by a handle 10, and is automatically moved back on to the loose pulley when a lever 12 is moved away from the end of the rod 7 by a lug on the pattern chain. The lever 12 may also be moved by hand. The clutch 31 is normally held in gear with the pinion 15 by a spring 34, Fig. 8, acting on an arm 35 on a rock-shaft 36, which has another arm 37 having a limited amount of swing and carrying a tongue 39 engaging a groove in the clutch 31. There is a spring 40 between the arms 35, 37, so that the clutch 31 is not necessarily moved when the arm 35 is rocked ; this spring connection is provided because the clutch 24 is made so as to engage the clutch on the wheel 26 only when moving in one direction. The flange on the clutch 25 is tapered, and has a spring latch 25<a>, Fig. 31 ; the flange on the clutch 24 displaces the latch 25<a> when moving in one direction, but not when moving in the other, and the two flanges can only interlock when the clutch 24 is moving in one direction. The rockshaft 36 has a third arm 41, having a pin on which works a roller 43. The roller is moved in a direction parallel with the shaft 36 into one of three positions by a lever swinging on the arm 41 and having a lug 46, Fig. 3, which is acted on by a lug 47 on a lever 49. This lever 49 is connected to a rock-shaft moved by a cam on the cam shaft, which is provided with a friction pad to prevent movement due to momentum. When the roller 43 is in one extreme position, it comes into the path of a cam on the wheel 16, and causes the shaft 36 to rock and move the clutch 31 so as to convert the motion from rotary to reciprocating. The clutch is held in this position by a catch which is released when the roller 43 is moved by its cam and connection to the other extreme position. The cam shaft is rotated as follows :- A pin on the toothed sector 21 acts on an arm, and so rocks a shaft 63, Fig. 10, carrying two pawls 70, 71 engaging ratchet-wheels 72, 73. The wheel 72 is on the cam shaft, and the wheel 73 on a sleeve which carries the pattern chain 75. The ratchet-wheel 72 has a low tooth 76, and a cam-groove, with a sinking 77, which engages a pin on the pawl 71. The pawl 70 rests on a bar 90. and drives the wheel 72 till it gets to the low tooth, just when the wheel comes to rest; just before this the pawl 71 drops into action, and rotates the wheel 73 till the bar 90 is moved, allowing the pawl 70 to engage the low tooth. The cam shaft and pattern-wheel are thus alternately operated. The bar 90 is operated by a lug on the patternchain and suitable connections. Instead of using a low tooth 76, a long tooth may be provided, and the throw of the pawl varied. At certain times it is desirable that the cam shaft should rotate faster than the wheel 72 moves it. To provide for this, a disc 93, Fig. 11, with sets of teeth 94 at the required places, is secured to the wheel 72, and is operated by a pawl 95 on a shaft 97 rocked by an eccentric or cam 100 on the wheel 26. To raise the needles to the transferring position, a ring 107 with jacks 116, 117 is carried on a stem 109 raised by a hand-lever. The knitting-cams are of ordinary construction. The supplementary draw-down cam 127 is carried on a radial slide 133, moved outwards by a spring but held inwards by a spring trigger 136. The supplementary lifter cam 129 is carried on a radial slide 137, and is projected by a spring but held in place by a trigger with two notches so that it may be partially or wholly projected. These spring triggers can be operated by two discs, of which one 144 is operated by hand, and the other automatically by means controlled from the pattern mechanism. Half the needles have long butts, and half short By means of the supplementary lifting-cam half the needles may be raised when heeling, or the whole may be raised for transferring. When transferring, the cylinder is lifted by the ring 107, and further rise of the needles is prevented by a ring 156. To vary the length of loop at the calf and heel, a cam on the cam shaft and lugs on the pattern-chain co-operate with two levers, one of which raises a vertically-guided rod on which the needle cylinder rests. The raising needlepicker 190 and the depressing-picker 194 are pivoted to blocks 192, 196 sliding in grooves in the cam ring, and project over cams 131. When a picker meets a needle butt, it is arrested and caused to move against the action of its spring 197 by its cam 130, 131, till it releases its needle. The motion of the pickers is completed by their. coming into contact with buffers brought into their path by means controlled by the pattern mechanism. To prevent the pickers from rebounding when they meet a needle butt, pairs of levers 215, 216, Fig. 24, pivoted on pins 217 and connected by a spring 219, are provided. These levers prevent rebound, but the springs yield and the pickers are not prevented from passing. Modifications of these levers are shown in Figs. 26, 35, and 36. Spring-pressed buffer shoes 221 hold the pickers in their intermediate positions when out of action. Instead of using the spring levers 215, rebound may be prevented by using small spring clips 225, as shown in Fig. 28, and the picker carrying-blocks may be held in their intermediate or extreme positions by bevelled spring bolts engaging bevelled recesses in the grooves which receive the block.