Pattern control device for flat knitting machines

A pattern control device for flat knitting machines, comprising:

• carriage guide rails;
• a plurality of knitting needle control carriages supported on said carriage guide rails for lateral movement along said guide rails;
• a toothed resilient carriage belt means engaging said control carriages for moving said carriages along said guide rails;
• a carriage drive motor operatively connected to said carriage belt means for driving said carriage belt means;
• yarn guide supporting plate guide rails having an I shaped cross section, upper and lower surfaces, and end portions;
• two oppositely facing grooves in each yarn guide supporting plate guide rail;
• a plurality of yarn guide supporting plates supported and guided on said upper and lower surfaces of said yarn guide supporting plate guide rails for lateral movement therealong;
• a plurality of belt pulleys mounted at both end portions of said yarn guide supporting plate guide rails;
• a plurality of toothed resilient yarn guide belts movable in at least one of said grooves and engaging with said yarn guide supporting plates and engaging around said pulleys for independent movement with respect to each other;
• separate yarn guide drive motors operatively engaging respective yarn guide belts for driving said yarn guide belts independently and synchronously with the movements of said carriages;
• yarn guide supports mounted on said yarn guide supporting plates for vertical movement;
• feeders and yarn guides on said yarn guide supports for supplying yarn required for a knitting operation;
• and
• a control unit for controlling said yarn guide drive motors to control movement of said yarn guide belts and supporting plates.