Patent GB-1206226-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to patterning mechanism for multi-feed circular knitting machines
Inventor: BURDETT HENRY SIDNEY
IPC: D04B15/74
Filed: 1968-08-21
Abstract: 1,206,226. Knitting machines. STIBBE MACHINERY Ltd. 15 April, 1969 [21 Aug., 1968; 27 Dec., 1968], Nos. 39958/68 and 61532/ 68. Heading D1C. A multi-feed circular knitting machine comprises, in the cylinder tricks 51, elements 59 which, having butts engaged by cams to produce patterning, are also radially movable for selection and presser jacks 60 in front of either the elements 59 or intermediate jacks 63 co-operating with elements 59 and at each feed a rotary patterning unit driven synchronously with the cylinder, the jacks 60 being longitudinally movable to bring their one patterning butt into line with a selected one of the circumferential rows of teeth 68 disposed at a series of levels on the unitary drum 67 forming the pattern unit, engagement of the patterning butt with one of the teeth pushing the jack 60 in to select the corresponding element 59. Latch needles 52 slide in tricks 51 and have operating butts 53 by which they are actuated to knit by cams 54, 55 in cam box 56. Each jack 59 is fulcrummed at 59a and each presser jack 60 is fulcrummed at 60a and carries a single patterning butt 61 and six height selection butts 62, a jack 63 being fulcrummed at 64 between each pair of jacks 59, 60. Thus pressing in a jack 60 will cause the corresponding jack 59 to project its operating butt 59b into a track 65 in cam box 56 so that it will be raised to raise the corresponding needle and cause it to knit. After this a cam 66 acts on jack 59 to push it inwardly and return jacks 63 and 60 to their original positions ready for re-selection. Teeth 68 are formed on inserts in parallel tricks formed in drum 67 which is carried on a shaft 70 mounted in bearings 71, 72 and having at its lower end a pinion 76 which engages a gear 77 secured to needle cylinder 50. In another arrangement, the swivelling jack 79 is fulcrummed near its lower end at 80 so that, when jack 60 is pressed in, it also swings inward the upper end 79a of jack 79 which has two prongs between which is engaged the tail 59c of jack 59. Thus selected needles miss-knit. An inwardly projecting butt 79b on top of each jack 79 is engaged by a cam 81 just before each drum 67 to restore jacks 79 to rest position. In another arrangement, the jacks have spring biassed extensions which are pressed into the tricks 51 by jacks 60 but when they move outwardly they have a lower butt which engages a jack raising cam. In one half-gauging pattern arrangement, width 144 needles, the first 72 jacks 60 have butts at two levels (a) arid (c) while the next 72 jacks 60 have butts at two levels (b) and (d) close respectively to (a) and (c) and all have smilar height selection butts 62. Each drum 67 may comprise two similar parts secured together coaxially and each having 36 tricks, offset from those of the other part, to receive inserts with frangible butts lying in planes 1 to 24 and 25 to 48 respectively. Thus the a, b pairs are 1, 2; 3, 4; &c and the c, d pairs are 25, 26; 27, 28; &c and with all the jacks fully lowered the a, b; c, d levels will be 1, 2; 25, 26 and by raising jacks other levels may be selected. Preferably, the drums are made in one piece with tricks extending for their full length one insert serving for two jacks 60 either by having half the frangible butts offset to the right 68R and half to the left 68L or by having them offset alternately. Otherwise, the butts 61 on the jacks may be offset to left or right. If the butts are offset alternately, the first 72 needles of a panel have short presser jacks 60 with patterning butts 61 alternately at heights (a) and (b) to co-operate with the bottom 12 pairs of butts on drum 67 while the next 72 needles have longer jacks 60 with butts 61 alternately at heights (c) and (d) to co-operate with the top 12 pairs of butts. Height selection may be effected by a vertically movable cam, e.g. slidable in a guide way, which engages single height selection butts 82. Preferably height selection is effected by a bank of bolt cams acting on height selection butts 62 on each jack 60. The jacks are held at selected levels by the butts engaging grooves 85, 86 formed in an annulus 87 having gaps 88 where the bolt cams are provided. As shown, there are six height selection butts 62 on each jack 60 and there are six bolt cams:-Z, Z 1  lower jacks one pitch, X, X, lift jacks one pitch, Y lowers jacks two pitches. Thus non-mirror, mirror repeat and elongated designs may be produced. The bolt cams are carried on slides with "out", "in" and "neutral" positions 89, 90, 91 and, to prevent cams of differing action from being in operation at the same time, cams Y, Z; X 1 , Z;; Y, W are mounted with their slides 92, 93; 94, 95; 99, 100 either side of pinions 96; 96; 101. Slides 92, 94; 93, 95 carry spaced pins 104, 105 and between these on slides 92, 93 is an arm 106 extending from slide 99 of cam Y and on slides 94, 95 an arm 107 extending from the slide 100 of cam W. The bolt cams may be operated by a system of levers controlled by punched tape or the like.