US 4,233,825 AGranted

Knitting machine

AssigneeGlitsch, Inc.

InventorDonald L. Glaspie

Life of this patent

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Abstract

Disclosed is an improved knitting machine in which special steps have been taken to provide for close correlation of the operation of the knitting filament in-feed equipment and the knitted fabric out-feed equipment with the speed of the knitting head itself, to produce a more uniform and better quality knitted product, and to reduce the danger of filament or fabric breakage caused by jamming at the knitting head or at one of the pieces of feed equipment. These steps are particularly important in the knitting of wire mesh fabric, because wire filament is less stretchable than most textile filaments and thus less able to compensate for variations in the speed of the various pieces of equipment acting upon it as it passes through the machine. In particular, the filament in-feed equipment, the fabric take-up equipment, and if desired, the fabric take-down equipment, are all driven by power trains which include the knitting head. In addition, the speed of the take-down equipment is made continuously variable to compensate for variations in the rate of delivery of knitted fabric out of the cylinder. Furthermore, a break-away accumulator is preferably provided in the filament feed system to compensate for the stopping time of the knitting head.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A knitting machine comprising:

a frame;
a knitting head and cylinder mounted on said frame in position to receive knitting filament fed thereto from above said cylinder and to deliver a tube of knitted fabric downwardly out of said cylinder;
take-down means mounted on said frame below said cylinder for tensioning said knitted tube and drawing it downwardly out of said cylinder;
take-up means mounted on said frame for receiving said knitted tube from said take-down means and winding it up into a roll;
knitting filament feed means mounted on said frame for feeding knitting filament to said knitting cylinder;
power means mounted on said frame for operating said knitting machine;
power train means connecting said power means to said knitting head, said knitting head to said take-up means, and said knitting head to said knitting filament feed means, whereby variations in knitting head speed are instantaneously compensated for by variations in the speed of said feed and take-up means;
said take-down means comprising:
a lever pivotally mounted on said frame;
a variable speed drive means having a throttle;
a pair of pinch rolls mounted on said lever for engaging said knitted tube and drawing it downwardly out of said cylinder;
a pulley and belt system interconnecting said drive means and said pinch rolls;
means for variably biasing said pinch rolls away from said cylinder;
and
means for operating said drive means throttle to increase the speed of said drive means upon downward excursions of said throttle and decrease the speed of said drive means upon upward excursions of said throttle.

12 more elements

A knitting machine comprising:

a frame;
a knitting head and cylinder mounted on said frame in position to receive knitting filament fed thereto from above said cylinder and to deliver a tube of knitted fabric downwardly out of said cylinder;
and
take down means mounted on said frame below said cylinder for tensioning said knitted tube and drawing it downwardly out of said cylinder said take-down means comprising:
a lever pivotally mounted on said frame;
a variable speed drive means having a throttle;
a pair of pinch rolls mounted on said lever for engaging said knitted tube and drawing it downwardly out of said cylinder;
a pulley and belt system interconnecting said drive means and said pinch rolls;
means for variably biasing said pinch rolls away from said cylinder;
and
means for operating said drive means throttle to increase the speed of said drive means upon downward excursions of said throttle and decrease the speed of said drive means upon upward excursions of said throttle.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 05/903,214Filed 5 May 1978
Granted: 18 Nov 1980
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

D04B 15/88
Details of, or auxiliary devices incorporated in, weft knitting machines, restricted to machines of this kind: take-up or draw-off devices for…
D04B 1/225
Specially adapted for knitting goods of particular configuration: elongated tubular articles of small diameter, e.g. coverings or reinforcements…
D04B 9/44
Specially adapted for producing goods of particular configuration: elongated tubular articles of small diameter, e.g. coverings for cables
D04B 15/40
Devices for supplying, feeding, or guiding threads to needles: holders or supports for thread packages