Patent GB-947037-A (GB)
Title: An improved method and means for controlling yarn in knitting machines
IPC: D04B15/61
Filed: 1959-03-25
Abstract: 947,037. Knitting machines. B. T. R. REYMES-COLE. March 25,1960 [March 25,1959], No. 10383/59. Heading D1C. Yarn is controlled in a knitting machine by causing it to come within the influence of a localised air stream by which it is deflected into an opening or recess and held taut by the air stream. The boundary of the opening or recess guides the yarn to the needles. Air sucked through an elongate mouth 48 controls the float 84 which extends between the end of one partcourse of splicing thread and the beginning of the next; driving round and round knitting and which is to be incorporated in the fabric. As the needle forming the last stitch of a partcourse moves away from the splicing thread feeder 85 and the feeder is withdrawn, the thread, whilst held taut by a take-up lever 43, is caused to catch over a hook at the end of a finger, the position of which is determined by a slide bar 32 actuated by a cam 33 to vary the period of activity of the feeder; and the length of the float is thus regulated in accordance with part-course length until the yarn is again taken by the first needle, in formation of the next part-course. As the cylinder continues to turn, the float slackens, passes off the hook and is sucked, in a loop 86, into the right-hand (Fig. 6) end of the mouth 48, eventually becoming positioned as in Fig. 10. At the point of suction, the needles are lowered by a cam 55 to a level 76 slightly below the mouth 48. After they have passed the mouth, every third needle is raised, as at 77, by a jack cam, whilst the intervening needles are lowered further by a cam 56 to a level 78. Subsequently, the raised needles are lowered at 79 by a cam 57; and during this raising and lowering of every third needle, the sinkers are withdrawn and moved in again. All needles are subsequently raised at 80, by a further jack-cam, to tucking height, where they remain until brought round to the knitting station again. Thus the float is fed into the hooks of the needles raised at 77 and is lowered by them past the withdrawn sinkers, which then move in to hold the yarn under their sides, so ensuring that the float is passed behind the intervening needles, to be held in the fabric at the next course of knitting. By modifying the actions of needles and sinkers, the float could be knitted in, or held on all the needles to be knitted in with the next course at the main knitting station. The suction may be used to draw outwardly of the needle circle any loose ends, such as those extending from the needles to the trapper and cutter at a yarn change, or severed floats, so that they are worked into the fabric. A plurality of air streams may be used. An air stream may be cut off except when required. It may deflect excess yarn as a loop into a tube or cavity, to preserve yarn tension during variable take-up, as in reciprocatory knitting. The mouth 48 is formed in a plate 49 secured to the inside of the latch guard ring. A hump 51 prevents premature release of the last part of the float to the needles. A plate 52, having a yarn controlling projection 54, is secured to and spaced slightly inwardly from the plate 49, to provide a yarn guiding slot 53. The trapping and cutting device comprises a knife arm and a trapper arm rockable together on a common pivot, a fixed spring blade and a guide finger.