Circular Knitting Machine With Height-adjustable Spool Carrier

Abstract

To provide for ease of servicing, the spool carriers are made height-adjustable on the circular knitting machine, by securing the spool carriers to the frame of the machine by means of a vertical positioning apparatus which may include a cable and pulley arrangement for raising or lowering the spool carriers; hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder piston arrangements; or mechanical drives, such as engaging spindle nut drives or the like. The present invention relates to circular knitting machines and more particularly to the arrangement which holds the spool carriers supplying thread to the knitting machine. Usually, circular knitting machines have spool carriers which are fixed to support members on the machine or which are slidably arranged in spool support elements, to be adjusted in their position by means of clamps or the like. It has also been proposed to locate spools on circular knitting machines on carrier rods mounted adjustably on, and extending radially from the spool carrier ring, the spool carrier ring itself being secured to carrier columns or the like on the machine frame by means of cross braces. The spool carriers themselves can then be mounted with varying distances with respect to the center line of the machine. In all the known apparatus, the height of the spools secured to the machine remains fixed. Thus, operators who are not as tall as others may experience difficulty in servicing the spools on the machines, interfering with rapid maintenance, and supply and change of thread spools. It is an object of the present invention to provide a circular knitting machine which has spool carriers which are so constructed that the vertical position of the spool carriers is adjustable. Subject matter of the present invention: Briefly, the spool carriers are secured to the frame of the machine by a securing means which includes a drive capable of adjusting the vertical position of the spool carriers with respect to the machine support frame. The drive itself may be electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, or entirely mechanical. The spools thus can be adjusted, in their relative height position, as desired by the operators, for optimum convenience, thus physically improving the working conditions of the machine operating and maintenance personnel. For example, when the machine itself is to be re-adjusted, the spool carriers can be lifted to their upper limit, thus providing free access to the machine mechanic without interference by the spools or the threads coming therefrom; on the other hand, if only the spools are to be changed by operators of short body height, ladders and the like can be avoided.

Description

The invention will be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a knitting machine, in schematic front view with parts not necessary for an understanding of the invention omitted, and illustrating a mechanical lifting arrangement utilizing a cable and pulley arrangement;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side view illustrating a pressure lifting arrangement;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary schematic side view illustrating a spindle-nut lifting arrangement, the spindle-nut drive itself being driven from a main drive of the machine;

FIG. 3a is a schematic fragmentary top view of a releaseable spindle drive;

FIG. 4a is a schematic side view illustrating a stacked arrangement in which the spools are arranged on superposed layers of a spool carrier;

FIG. 4b is a schematic, developed front view of the carrier arrangement of FIG. 4a;

FIG. 5 is a partial top view illustrating the staggered arrangement of the spools of FIG. 4a and FIG. 4b;

FIG. 6 is a schematic fragmentary side view of another embodiment, having parallel spools, of a multilayer spool carrier;

FIG. 7 is a developed end view of the arrangement of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary top view of the arrangement of FIGS. 6 and 7.

The machine frame 1 has carrier columns 2 extending upwardly therefrom. Each carrier column 2 is formed with a holder or guide element 3 to which a radially extending transverse rod 4 is attached. A cable 5 connects to the spool carrier ring 6 on which, in turn, spool carrier rods 7 are located, carrying the spools 8. The cable 5 runs over pulleys 9 at the ends of rod 4 and is wound on a drum 11, to be paid out, or taken up by drum 11 which is driven by a motor 10, for example an electric motor. The drive motor 10 for drum 11 is preferably located interiorly of the machine, for example, at the center thereof. The drum 11 may accommodate a plurality of cables 5 running over respective pulleys 9 at the ends of rods 4, attached to ring 6 at various positions in circumferential direction, to suitably distribute the weight of the ring 6, and the spools thereon. Vertical guidance is provided by the weight of the ring 6 and the spools, and their holding devices thereon.

FIG. 2 illustrates a holder arrangement for ring 6 which includes carrier bars 13, located circumferentially around the machine, the carrier bars 13 being connected to a pressure piston-cylinder unit 12, slidable on column 2'. The piston-cylinder arrangement 12 may be made to move up and down column 2' in the direction of arrow A by hydraulic, or pneumatic force. The transverse bars 13 transmit movement of the piston-cylinder arrangement to the ring 6. The piston cylinder arrangement may include, for example, a fixed piston located intermediate the length of the vertical column 2'. The cylinder 12' of the unit, secured to rods 13, will move upwardly if hydraulic pressure is introduced between the piston and cylinder at the upper end 124 of the cylinder. Upon release of hydraulic pressure, the cylinder 12', together with the rods 13, and the spool carrier ring 6 and the spools, thereon, will drop by their own weight. The vertical position of ring 6 may thus, therefore, be maintained in selective adjustment by introducing a selected amount of pressurized hydraulic fluid between the piston and the upper end 12U of the piston-cylinder arrangement 12.

Vertical adjustment can also be obtained by a mechanical drive. FIG. 3 illustrates carrier rods 13 attached to a vertical translating apparatus 12"', which includes a nut 15 held against rotation within the apparatus, for example, by being squared and bearing against a plate 12" (FIG. 3a). The nut 15 engages a threaded support column 2" and in this embodiment, the support column 2" is journalled for rotation on frame 1 in a bearing 22, and rotated by connection to a gear 21 which engages, as schematically indicated, with the main drive gear 20 of the machine. Synchronous drive of the height adjustment with rotation of the machine can thereby be obtained; To stop height adjustment upon rotation of the machine, it is only necessary to free nut 15 from its restraint against rotation, for example, by moving plate 12" to the right in FIG. 3a; and transverse carrier rod 13 and hence spool carrier ring 6 will remain in place.

It is possible to arrange the spools on spool carriers which have more than one layer of spools. FIGS. 4a and 4b illustrate such an arrangement, in which the spool carrier has a pair of carrier rings 6a, 6b which are interconnected by vertically extending braces 46 spaced at suitable intervals around the circumference of the carrier rings. One, or both of the carrier rings 6a, 6b are secured to the radially extending arms 13 which, in turn, are connected to the lifting arrangement 12 or 12' (FIGS. 2 or 3, respectively). The spools 8a, 8b, on the top and bottom carrier, respectively, are inclined with respect to each other with an angle of inclination which connects the center lines of the spools to a thread guide 44, or to a thread control arrangement 41, respectively. Eye 44 is merely a thread guide and the element 41 to which the threads from spools 8a and 8b pass can additionally include thread controls, such as a stop mechanism detecting thread breakage or the like. The threads are then guided to a thread break 40. The thread control arrangements 40, 41 are located on transfer bars 42, 43 which in turn slide on carrier column 2, moving together with the up-down motion of the carrier rings, for example by suitable interconnection therewith. Other control elements for the thread may be placed in the path of the thread, as desired. The thread guide elements 40, 41 and the like are arranged on circumferential rings 47, 48, 49 which are connected with the thread carrier ring 6a by means of braces 46' to provide for synchronous lifting movement of the rings 47-49 carrying the thread control elements.

FIGS. 6-8 illustrate an arrangement similar to that of FIGS. 4a, 4b and FIG. 5 in which, however, the axes of the thread spools 68a, 68b are vertical. This arrangement permits the placement of the thread control elements associated with all the spools, such as thread break detectors 41 to be concentric and in line with the axes of the thread spools 68a, 68b. Ring 49 carrying guide eyes 44 then becomes unnecessary. Thread breaks 40 are again provided. They may be located staggered with respect to each other and somewhat radially offset with respect to the placement of the thread break detectors 41. The thread break detectors 41 themselves are carried on small cross braces 41' connected to the thread break detector carrier ring 48 which, in turn, is connected to a carrier rod 43 vertically secured to spool carrier rings 6a, 6b as before. A pair of transverse braces 42a, 42b are provided, each securing a separate thread break carrier ring 47a, 47b, located at spaced radial distances from each other. To prevent interference, the rings are staggered circumferentially and have been omitted from the drawings in FIG. 7. Parts similar to those previously described have not been discussed again and have been given same reference numerals.

Various changes and modifications, particularly in the constructional arrangement of the lifting mechanism may be made within the inventive concept. For example more than two superimposed layers of spool carriers may be used and the spools are then preferably arranged to be staggered or offset from each other to prevent thread entanglement, the offset arrangement of the spools for two layers being best seen in FIGS. 5 and 8.

Claims

We claim:

1. Circular knitting machine having a machine support frame and a spool carrier locating spools thereon to surround and ring the needle cylinder of said knitting machine and adapted to hold a plurality of thread spools thereon, said spools being spacedly mounted around the periphery of said spool carrier;

means securing said spool carrier to said machine support frame, said securing means including a drive means on the knitting machine interiorly of the vertical projection of the outermost spools on the spool carrier to effect adjustment of the vertical position of the spool carrier with respect to the machine support frame to thereby simultaneously adjust the vertical position of said spools of the knitting machine with respect to the needle cylinder; and guide means to locate the spool carrier at predetermined positions with respect to the machine.

2. Machine according to claim 1, wherein the position adjustment means includes a cable connection suspending the spool carrier with respect to the frame, and a winding drum to wind the cable thereon and adjust the free length thereof suspending the spool carrier and hence the vertical position of the spool carrier on the frame.

3. Machine according to claim 1, wherein the position adjustment means includes a hydraulic lifting piston-cylinder combination;

and means securing the spool carrier to the movable part of the hydraulic lifting piston-cylinder combination.

4. Machine according to claim 1, wherein the position adjustment means includes a pneumatic lifting piston-cylinder combination;

and means securing the spool carrier to the movable part of the pneumatic lifting piston-cylinder combination.

5. Machine according to claim 1, wherein the position adjustment means includes a rotary mechanical positioning drive.

6. Machine according to claim 5, wherein the mechanical positioning drive comprises a rotary threaded spindle and a spindle nut, the spindle nut being connected to the spool carrier to form a spindle nut drive.

7. Machine according to claim 6, wherein the machine has a main drive gear and comprises gear means interconnecting the main drive gear and the spindle to transmit rotational energy to the spindle.

8. Machine according to claim 6, wherein the machine has a main drive and comprises synchronous drive means interconnecting the main drive and the threaded spindle-spindle nut drive.

9. Machine according to claim 8, wherein the spindle-spindle nut drive is selectively engageable.

10. Machine according to claim 1 including a plurality of spool carriers, stacked vertically above each other and connected to said means securing said spool carrier to said machine frame to be conjointly movable.

11. Machine according to claim 10, wherein the machine is provide with thread guide and control means, and carrier rings for said control means to secure said control means to the machine;

wherein the carrier rings for the control means are connected to the means securing the spool carrier to the machine to be conjointly movable therewith.

12. Machine according to claim 11, wherein the thread guide and control means are located concentric with respect to the spools.

13. Machine according to claim 1, wherein the spool carrier is ring-shaped.