Control apparatus for a warp knitting machine

A control apparatus for controlling the movement of the guide bars of a warp knitting machine, having a main shaft, in accordance with a desired pattern and in synchronism with the rotation of the main shaft, said control apparatus comprising, in combination, a memory operable to store information corresponding to successive courses of a pattern to be knit;

• a pulse distributor connected to said memory;
• means, including a shaft rotation angle detector connected to said main shaft, operable, responsive to rotation of said main shaft in a predetermined angular range, to produce a plurality of pulse trains and to supply the same to said pulse distributor;
• control means connected to said memory and operable, responsive to input of an instruction, to control said memory to supply successive pattern course signals to said pulse distributor;
• and a number of servo mechanisms, equal to the number of guide bars, connected to said pulse distributor and each including a rotatable servo motor and means for converting the rotary output of the associated servo motor into a linear movement of a respective guide bar;
• said pulse distributor, responsive to such pattern course signals supplied thereto from said memory, supplying respective pulse trains to said servo mechanism to move the associated guide bars respective distances corresponding to the respective pattern course to be knit;
• said servo drive mechanisms each comprising a stepping motor and means for converting a rotary movement into a linear movement and which converts the angle of rotation of an output shaft of the respective stepping motor into a corresponding magnitude linear movement of the associated guide bar;
• said means for converting the rotary movement into a linear movement comprising a threaded shaft, a nut threadedly mounted on said threaded shaft and guided by a fixed frame for linear sliding motion, and means transmitting the linear recipricatory movement of said nut to a push rod connected to the associated guide bar.