Patent GB-960816-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to pattern control mechanism
Inventor: MCCARTHY PATRICK GIDEON
IPC: D04B15/66
Filed: 1959-07-07
Abstract: 960,816. Control systems for knitting machines. WILLIAM COTTON Ltd. July 1, 1960 [July 7, 1959], No. 23229/59. Heading G3N. [Also in Division D1] The numbers of knitted courses and of fashioning motions required to make a garment on a multi-section, straight bar knitting machine are controlled by a pair of counters which are set by a binary decimal coded punched card. The courses counter may alternatively be set by manual selector switches, Fig. 19 (not shown). Holes punched in three parallel tracks on the card, Fig. 12 (not shown) represent the number of courses, the number of fashioning motions, the nature of the fashioning (detected and controlled mechanically, see Division D1) and change-over to manual setting. The card may be read photo-electrically, Fig. 15 (not shown) but in the preferred embodiment it is wrapped round a drum and read by feeler actuated switches, the feelers being lifted and the drum advanced on the completion of each set of instructions by a cam-driven linkage, Fig. 9 (not shown). The presence of coded inputs on lines I from the card actuated feelers is detected by OR gates G1, G2 (courses) and G5 (fashions) to energize relays RLD and RLE which, amongst other functions, cause a pulse from generator RSG to temporarily open a set of AND gates so that the courses information enters store CC, and cause a relay RLC to close its contacts RLC1-8 so that fashions information enters store FC1. After a time delay, the fashions store FC1 is disconnected from its input, whereas the courses store CC can be repeatedly connected via the AND gates (see below). After each course of knitting, the main machine camshaft closes a switch CC1, Fig. 16 (not shown) so that a pulse enters on line CL, is shaped at C1S, and causes the number of courses stored in store CC to be reduced by one. Assuming this number to be greater than zero, (otherwise relay RLD would not be energized and this part of the control would be inoperative), knitting proceeds until the number of courses in the store CC has been reduced to one, a condition which is detected by a gate G3 which prepares a coincidence gate CM so that when the last programmed course has been knitted, the next pulse on line CL causes relay RLB to be energized. If no fashions information is present (relay RLE not energized) relay RLB causes the card reader to advance and the next instruction is read. If however relay RLE is energized then relay RLB causes a fashions solenoid to be energized and the cam-shaft is shogged. Two further cam-shaft actuated switches provide (a) an input to the pulse generator RSG so that the AND gates are again closed and the courses information re-entered in store CC and (b) an input on line FL to reduce the fashions count by one. Yet another camshaft actuated switch de-energizes the fashions solenoid and the machine reverts to knitting another programmed set of courses, followed by another fashioning movement. This sequence continues until the fashions number has been reduced to one, when a second coincidence gate FM is prepared by a gate G6 so that after the last fashioning movement, relay RLA is energized and causes the card reacter to advance to the next instruction. The functions of relays RLA, RLB are interchangeable so as to allow a sequence of plain courses only, a series of fashioning movements only, or as above described, a mixed sequence.