Improvements in Automatic Controlling Mechanism for Circular Knitting Machines.
Year: 1893

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Automatic Controlling Mechanism for Circular
Knitting Machines.
We, GRAHAM REID, of No. 2329 North Third Street, in the City of Phila-
delphia, State of Pennsylvania, United States of America, Manufacturer and
CHARLES STEVENSON of No. 2427 North Sixteenth Street, in the City of
Philadelphia, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what mauner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :—
The following is a Specification of our said invention, reference being had to
the accompanying drawings.
Our invention is particularly adapted for use in connection with circular knitting
machines which have automatic needle-lifting and needle-depressing devices for
throwing into and out of operation individual needles, in the well known operation
of widening and narrowing incident to the formation of stockings. Certain features,
however, may be applied to other machines where a stop-motion device, operating
also as a course-counter, is desirable.
In the drawings Figure 1 represents a view in side elevation of a machine
embodying our invention; Figure 2 is a partial rear view of the belt-shifting rod
and its direct controlling mechanism; and Figure 3 is a view, in perspective, of a
portion of the pattern chain employed in connection with the controlling devices.
Referring to Figure 1, A represents the table or base plate on which is supported,
in the usual manner, the cam cylinder B. The details of the knitting mechanism
proper and the needle-lifting or depressing mechanism are not shown, as they are
well understood, and we have only deemed it necessary to indicate in a general
nanner the vertically movable group of mechanism which is carried by the cam
cylinder and which, in one extreme position, actuates the needle-lifting devices, in
its other extreme position, actuates the needle-depressing devices, and in the
intermediate or neutral position, permits both of said devices to remain inoperative.
The necessary vertical shifting of said group is obtained by means of the tripping
lever I, acting upon one or the other of two oppositely inclined cam pieces, b, b,
facing one another, as shown, and having an interspace sufficient to permit the
passage of the end of the tripping lever 1. The neutral position of the actuating
mechanism for the needle shifting devices corresponds with such a vertical position
of the cam-pieces as brings the opening between them opposite to the end of the
tripping lever I, when said lever is in its intermediate position, but the rise or fall
of the lever will bring the surface of one or the other of said cam-pieces into
operative engagement therewith so that the rotation of the cam cylinder past the
lever will shift the group vertically into a position appropriate for actuating either
the needle-lifting or the needle-depressing mechanism, as may be desired.
When
once thus shifted, the opening between the cam-pieces, b, bi, will of course be in a
position to clear the end of the tripping lever 1, so long as it remains in a given
position.
The driving belt is represented at D, the driving pulley at D', said pulley being
journaled at D upon the rearward projecting end of the arm A³, dependent from
the table, A.
By means of the intermediate gears, d, d', and d, the bevel gear C, is rotated to
actuate the cam-cylinder, either for continuous circular knitting or for the
narrowing and widening operations, and as all of these are well understood, it is
not necessary to describe the means whereby the cam cylinder is changed from
continuous rotation to a reciprocative or oscillating movement.
The bevel gear C, is secured to the shaft C', which has its bearings in the usual

page_text: guard-plate A', depending from the table A, and said shaft carries an eccentric c,
whose periphery bears against a roller c', upon the arm E, of a bent lever pivoted
at E', the other arm E2, of said lever carrying a pawl e, pivoted at E³ and
provided with a spring e¹, to maintain it in operative contact with its ratchet
wheel F. The shaft of this ratchet wheel is provided with a bearing in the
downwardly and rearwardly projecting arm F', which depends from the guard-
plate, A¹.
arm F
At each rotation of the shaft C', the eccentric c, throws the arm E, outwards and
by means of the pawl e, shifts the ratchet wheel F, a distance of one tooth, the
roller c', being maintained in operative contact with the cam c, at all times, through
gravity, by reason of the inward extension of the lower arm E, of said lever.
Said shaft f, carries a sprocket wheel whose teeth engage with a pattern
chain G, having high links g, medium links g', and low links g², and also having
laterally projecting roller studs g³ shown more clearly in Figure 3. The ratchet
wheel F, is also provided with a guard-pawl or keeper f³, mounted upon the
A longitudinally movable vertical rod H, is mounted in position to engage
operatively with the links of the pattern chain, the lower end of said rod being
provided with a roller h, which rests upon the outer surface of the links, being
maintained in contact therewith by means of a spring, ', bearing against the
under side of the table A, and normally thrusting the rod downwards. The upper
end of the said rod is pivoted at h³ to one end of the lever I, mounted upon upright
posts, on the upper surface of the table. The inner end I', of said lever extends
inwards within the range of movement of the cam pieces bb, upon the exterior of
the cam cylinder B, so as to be capable of tripping either thereof. When the
inner end, I of the lever I, is in its medium position, as indicated in Figure 1, it is
at a level which is between the upper cam-piece b, and the lower cam-piece b', so
that as the cylinder rotates said cam-pieces pass freely by the end of said lever.
When, however, the inner end I', of said lever is raised, it engages with and trips
the upper cam-piece b, and conversely, when the inner end of the lever is lowered,
it engages with and operates the lower cam-piece V'.
As
The movement due to engagement of the lever with one cam-piece or the other is
of course communicated to the vertically movable group of mechanism, common in
this class of machines, and throws said mechanism into the proper position for
actuating either the needle-lifting or the needle depressing devices proper.
these devices themselves form no part of our invention, and as they differ in many
individual machines, it is not deemed necessary to further describe them; the
important feature for the purpose of the present Specification being only their
capacity for being thrown into or out of operative position by a shifting movement
derived from the lever 1.
Obviously, the vertical movement of the rod H, due to its passage from one set
of links to another upon the pattern chain, will shift the lever I, so that its inner
end I, can be brought to any one of the three positions indicated, and the lever
can of course be maintained in any given position during a predetermined period.
The pattern chain also controls the belt-shifting devices of the machine by the
following arrangement :-
The laterally projecting studs o³, of the pattern chain engage with one end of
the lever L, pivoted at upon the arm L', which depends from the table A,
the other end of said lever being attached to a rod L³, which in turn is con-
nected with the lever M, pivoted at m upon said arm L' The free end of said
lever M, is prolonged and weighted, as indicated at M', so as to normally tend to
depress the end of the lever L, into a position ready for operative engagement
with the rollers g³; and when this position occurs, the inner end M', of the
lever M, rests upon the upper surface of the horizontally mounted belt-shifting
rod O, (see Figure 2). Said belt-shifting rod O, is provided with the usual shifter
fingers, S, which embrace the belt D, and is capable of longitudinal movement,
being provided with a spring o, which tends normally to throw the belt off the fast

page_text: pulley D. Direct control of the belt-shifting rod O, is obtained by means of the
following device:
:-
A rock-shaft N, provided at its outer end with a handle N', is mounted in
bearings n, upon the guard-plate A'. A rock arm p, is rigidly secured on said
rock-shaft N, and is pivoted at p', to a link p', pivotally secured at p³ to the belt-
shifting rod O. A second rock-shaft P, is also rigidly attached to the rock-
shaft N, and projects therefrom a sufficient distance to rest upon the lever M.
In Figures 1 and 2, the belt-shifting rod O, is represented in a position corre-
sponding with the running of the driving belt upon the fast pulley, and it will
be seen that said rod is locked in this position, since any movement thereof in
the direction of the arrow T, is prevented by contact between the rock-arm P,
and the upper surface of the lever M, the pivotal point of connection between
the arm p, and link p³, being above a line drawn from the axis of the rock-
shaft N, to the axis of the pivot p³. When, however, the lever M is actuated
so as to raise its free end, its movement will throw the rock-arm P, upward in
the direction of the arrow T¹, and by thus rocking the shaft N, will depress
the arm p and link p³, carrying them past the centre at p', thus unlocking them
and leaving them free to turn further downwards as the action of the spring o
throws the belt-shifting rod O, in the direction of the arrow T.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we wish it to be understood
that we do not limit its application to the particular tripping mechanism upon
the cam cylinder above mentioned, as the device may be modified in these
respects without affecting the principle of operation, it being only necessary that
there should be upon the cam cylinder parts adapted to engage with the tripping
lever in certain positions of the latter, and to clear said lever in another position
thereof we declare that what we claim is :-
1. The combination, with the driving bevel-gear shaft, of an eccentric mounted
thereon; a lever, one end of which is in operative relation to said eccentric; a
pawl mounted upon the other end of said lever; a ratchet wheel in operative
relation to said pawl; a pattern chain driven by said ratchet wheel and provided
with links, of three different heights, and with laterally projecting studs; a longi-
tudinally movable rod in operative relation to said links, a tripping lever connected
with said rod and adapted in different positions to control the actuating mechanism
for the needle lifting or needle depressing devices or free the same; a lever in
operative relation to the pattern chain studs; a locking lever connected with said
pattern chain lever; a belt shifting rod and shifting fingers; a rock-shaft having
an arm engaging with said locking lever and a second arm and link pivoted to said
belt shifting rod, whereby said rod is locked in the normal position of said locking
lever and freed by the action of said pattern chain studs upon the lever, substan-
tially as set forth.
2. The combination with the driving mechanism for the cam cylinder, of a belt
shifting rod and shifting fingers; a rock-shaft having an arm operatively connected
with said belt-shifting rod; a locking lever operatively connected with said rock-
shaft; a pattern chain lever connected with said locking lever; a pattern chain
adapted at intervals to engage operatively with said last mentioned lever, and
actuating mechanism for said pattern chain in operative engagement with the main
driving mechanism whereby the stop-motion can be operated after the formation of
a predetermined series of knitting courses, substantially as set forth.
3. The combination, with the driving mechanism for the cam cylinder and with
the needle-lifting and needle-depressing devices, of a tripping lever adapted in
different positions to control the actuating mechanism for said devices or free the
same; a longitudinally movable rod connected with said tripping lever; a pattern
chain adapted to actuate said rod at intervals, and actuating mechanism for said
pattern chain in positive engagement with said driving mechanism whereby the
needle-lifting or needle-depressing devices may be thrown into or out of operation

page_text: after the formation of a predetermined series of knitting courses, substantially
set forth.
1
1000
88
CARPMAEL & Co.,
Agents for the Applicants.