An improved Electric Stop motion Аpplicable to Stockinette and Knitting Machines.
Year: 1885

page_text: An improved Electric Stop motion Аpplicable to Stockinette and
Knitting Machines.
I, ROBERT HENRY LENDRUM of Thongsbridge, near Huddersfield Yorkshire,
Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "AN IMPROVED
ELECTRIC STOP MOTION APPLICABLE TO STOCKINETTE AND KNITTING MACHINES
to be as follows:-
"
In stockinette and knitting machines a creel of bobbins are employed the threads
of which are conveyed to the operating needles for the purpose of being knitted
into a fabric. It frequently happens that some of the threads break and until the
machine is stopped by the workman a faulty place is being made in the fabric
and as the workman does not always detect the broken thread as soon as it is
broken the machine continues to work and the faulty place becomes larger.
My Invention is intended to stop the machine by self-acting mechanism when-
ever a thread breaks, and this I effect by combining with such machines an
electric stop motion consisting of ordinary cells and a magnet. At a suitable
distance above the creel I place a rail through which passes a charged wire.
A series of cups are formed in this rail one cup to each thread such cups being
divided by any suitable non-conducting material. A light wire staple is also
employed each leg thereof passing through tubes made of glass or other
non-conducting material, the extremities of each leg entering into separate
compartments of the cup the bottom of which contains a small quantity of
mercury. Each thread in passing from the creel to the knitting instruments passes
over a cup and under a staple which so long as the thread is whole and unbroken,
keeps the point of the staple out of contact with the mercury, but when the thread
breaks it ceases to support the staple, therefore it drops into the cup, and the legs
of the staple come into contact with the mercury when an electric circuit is
completed and the magnet is caused to attract a catch which releases a lever in
contact with the knocking off mechanism whereby the machine is instantly
stopped.
In order that there may be no unnecessary consumption of electricity certain
contact makers are employed which remain in contact until the magnet releases

page_text: the operating levers. Instead of the travelling thread supporting a staple which
when liberated drops into a cup of mercury to establish a circuit, the thread may
support a light hinged eyelet in such manner that when the thread breaks the
hinged eyelet would drop onto a rod so as to establish a complete circuit.
By the adoption of these means to this class of machine damaged goods by the
absence of a thread cannot now be made, whilst in addition to this a workman can
now attend to more than one machine, as his time is not now occupied in watching
for broken ends.

page_text: Knitting Machines.
I, ROBERT HENRY LENDRUM of Thongsbridge, near Huddersfield Yorkshire,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "AN IMPROVED
ELECTRIC STOP MOTION APPLICABLE TO STOCKINETTE AND KNITTING MACHINES,"
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
In stockinette and knitting machines a creel of bobbins are employed the threads
of which are conveyed to the operating needles for the purpose of being knitted
into a fabric.
It frequently happens that some of the threads break, and until the machine is
stopped by the workman a faulty place is being made in the fabric, and as the
workman does not always detect the broken thread as soon as it is broken, the
machine continues to work and the faulty place becomes larger.
My invention is intended to stop the machine by self-acting mechanism when-
ever a thread breaks, and this I effect by combining with such machines an electric
stop motion.
In order that my Invention may be better understood reference is made to the
accompanying sheets of drawings wherein Fig. 1 is elevation, and Fig. 2 plan view
of such parts of a stockinette loom as are necessary to illustrate my improvements.
1 is frame work of the machine, 2 the circular table which is caused to rotate by
bevel wheels 3 and 4, the latter of which is connected to a clutch 5 for the
purpose of disengaging the wheels and stopping the machine; and this is done self-
actingly when any one of the threads break as hereinafter described, 6 is the
ordinary creel carrying bobbins 7, and are rails through which passes charged
wires connected at 9 to binding screws as will be well understood.
This rail is provided with cups 10 one to each thread, such cup being divided as
shewn in sections Figs 2 and 3 and filled with mercury, and 11 are staples each
leg of which passes through tubes of glass, or other non-conducting material, the
extremities of each leg entering into separate compartments of one of the cups 10.
A magnet is shewn at 12 which on one of the threads breaking, a complete
circuit is established causing the said magnet to attract or lift up the small
catch 13 which is holding the lever 14, and which lever as soon as it is thus
released is drawn by spiral spring 15 in the direction of the arrow 16. This lever 14
has a catch 17 on the underside for supporting the weighted end of the lever 18
hinged at 19, and as soon as the catch 17 is removed from under the lever, it
drops or descends, causing the opposite end thereof to rise or ascend, in doing
which a notch on the underside of the hinged bar 20 is lifted out of a recess in the
fixing 21, and as soon as the bar 20 is released the spiral spring 22 draws the
said bar in the direction of the arrow 23, whereby the bar 24 which is in gear
with the clutch 5, and which fits onto the bar 20 at right angles is also drawn
forward in the direction of the arrow 23, consequently the bevel wheels are

page_text: disengaged and the machine brought to an immediate stoppage.—The action of the
apparatus is as follows,-
Threads from the bobbins are passed over guide rods 25, through eyelet 26,
under the staple 11, and over rod 27 and forward to the needles on the rotary
table 2, and so long as the threads remain intact none of my improvements are
required, but as soon as one of the threads break, it ceases to support the staple
which immediately drops into the mercury contained in the cups 10, consequently
an electric circuit is at once established, causing the magnet 12 to lift up the
catch 13 and release the lever 14 whereby the weighted lever 18 drops, and the
bevel wheels as already described are thrown out of gear.
"
In order that there may be no unnecessary consumption of electricity a contact
maker 28 projecting from the underside of the lever 14 is employed, which when
the machine is running satisfactorily causes a contact to be made inside box 29,
but as soon as the catch releases the lever 14, the contact is broken, part a
being forced outwards in direction of arrow 16 by a spring within the box 29
to be ready for contact again.
Instead of the travelling thread supporting a staple, which when liberated drops
into a cup of mercury to establish a circuit; the thread may support a light hinged
eyelet in such manner that when the thread breaks, the hinged eyelets would drop
onto a rod so as to complete a circuit.
By the adoption of these means to this class of machine, damaged goods by the
absence of a thread cannot now be made, whilst in addition to this, a workman
can now attend to more than one machine, as his time is not now occupied in
watching for broken ends.
Although I have described and shewn my invention as applied to a stockinette
machine, it must be understood that the apparatus herein described can with
equal advantage be applied to a knitting machine.
Having now shewn and described my Invention, and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, or carried into practical operation I would observe that
I do not limit nor confine myself to the peculiar form of mechanism herein shewn
as that may be varied without departing from the essential feature of my
Iuvention, but what I claim is
. The application of an electric stop motion to a stockinette and to a knitting
machine for the purpose of stopping the machine on the breakage of a thread.
Dated this ord
or September 1885,
TASKER & CROSSLEY,
Patent Agents,
Commercial Street, Halifax,
Agents for the Applicant.