U.S. patent number 3,710,597 [Application Number 05/085,155] was granted by the patent office on 1973-01-16 for knit pile fabric.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Norwood Mills, Inc.. Invention is credited to Arnold W. Schmidt.
United States Patent |
3,710,597 |
Schmidt |
January 16, 1973 |
KNIT PILE FABRIC
Abstract
A blended knit pile fabric having its pile arranged to simulate
any natural fur design or in any other ornamental design of colors,
which design is formed in the pile of the fabric during the making
or manufacturing of the fabric by varying the physical
characteristics of the fibers within each consecutive pile bundle
or element during the process of knitting. The pile fabric is made
by feeding a plurality of rovings or slivers of discrete fibers
into a blending region, blending together the fibers from each of
said rovings in the blending region, delivering said blended fibers
to a knitting region, knitting a base fabric in said knitting
region, removing bundles of fibers from said blend of fibers, and
incorporating the bundles into the base fabric in the knitting
region during the knitting of the base fabric.
Inventors: |
Schmidt; Arnold W. (Sarasota,
FL) |
Assignee: |
Norwood Mills, Inc.
(Janesville, WI)
|
Family
ID: |
22189803 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/085,155 |
Filed: |
October 29, 1970 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
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835155 |
Jun 20, 1969 |
3563050 |
|
|
|
600490 |
Dec 9, 1966 |
3501812 |
|
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332227 |
Dec 20, 1963 |
3299672 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
66/191 |
Current CPC
Class: |
D04B
9/14 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
D04B
9/14 (20060101); D04B 9/00 (20060101); D04b
009/14 () |
Field of
Search: |
;66/9B,191,194
;19/145.7 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Mackey; Robert R.
Parent Case Text
This application is a division of my co-pending application Ser.
No. 835,155, filed June 20, 1969 now U.S. Pat. No. 3,563,058, which
in turn is a division of my earlier application Ser. No. 600,490,
filed Dec. 9, 1966, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,501,812, which in turn is a
division of my earlier application Ser. No. 332,227, filed Dec. 20,
1963, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,299,672.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A knitted pile fabric comprising a knitted base fabric made up
of mutually interlocked body yarn loops forming courses and wales
and bundles of pile fibers knitted one bundle into each of said
loops of said base fabric, said pile bundles being arranged in said
fabric in a predetermined visible pattern sequence determined by
two variables consisting of a density variation determined by
differences in the number of fibers in the respective pile bundles
as initially knit into the base fabric and a color variation
determined by differences in the ratio of the number of fibers of
one color to the number of fibers of another color in the
respective pile bundles as initially knit into the base fabric,
said variables varying gradually walewise of the fabric, each
bundle containing fibers of two different colors having the fibers
of one color dispersed and intermingled with the fibers of the
other color throughout each such bundle.
2. The fabric set forth in claim 1 wherein the ratio of the number
of fibers of said two different colors in each of said bundles
varies at periodic intervals in a uniformly alternating sequence
with the periodic change in the ratio of the two colors of fibers
in each of said bundles being correlated from row to row with the
density variation of the fibers such that said fabric has a striped
pattern simulating a natural fur pelt having thick and thin areas
of differing color.
3. A knit pile fabric comprising mutually interlocked body yarn
loops forming courses and wales, said fabric including in a
walewise pattern repeat successive bands of predetermined selected
widths of pile fibers characterized by the bands varying from one
edge thereof to the other in the number of the pile fibers knitted
into the body yarn loops to produce a density variation in said
pattern, each said loop carrying a bundle of pile fibers made up of
a group of pile fibers having as initially knit into the body yarn
loops at least two differing physical characteristics with the
fibers of one characteristic dispersed randomly in an intermingled
mixture throughout the fibers of the other characteristic in each
bundle, the quantity of each type of fiber in each said bundle as
well as the total quantity of fibers in each said bundle varying
gradually walewise of the fabric to produce a perceptible pattern
and a correlated change in the density of the pile fibers of the
fabric in said bands.
4. The knitted pile fabric set forth in claim 3 wherein said two
differing physical characteristics of the pile fibers consist of
pile fibers of at least two different colors, the fiber color
composition of the individual pile bundles varying walewise of the
fabric in a gradual manner to thereby distinguish one row from
another and to produce a striped color pattern in the fabric
wherein the coloring of one stripe blends smoothly into the next.
Description
This invention relates to a blended knit pile fabric and more
particularly to a fur-like knit pile fabric and to the method and
apparatus for producing such fabric.
Fur-like or pile fabrics generally include a base fabric or back,
knitted or woven, and a pile made up of fibers which are interlaced
or interlocked with the base fabric so as to be securely held and
extended from a surface of the base fabric. Such pile fabrics are
well known and usually the base fabric is made of cotton or any
other suitable natural or synthetic fiber and the pile is also made
from natural or real fur or any one or more of well-known synthetic
fibers such as nylon, Dacron, the acrylic synthetic fibers such as
Orlon, Acrilan, Dynel, rayon, or other well-known natural or
man-made fibers. Fibers which are commonly used as pile in a
fur-like or pile fabric are commercially obtainable in almost any
color desired, for example, white, black, gray, brown, yellow,
blue, etc.
It is an object of this invention to produce a knit pile fabric
having its pile arranged to simulate any natural fur design or in
any other ornamental design of colors, which design is formed in
the pile of the fabric during the making or manufacturing of the
fabric.
Another object of the invention is to provide a knit pile fabric
wherein the pile is arranged in any design, pattern or blend
desired by varying the physical characteristics of the fibers
within each consecutive pile bundle or element during the process
of knitting the pile fabric.
The invention also contemplates a method and machine for
manufacturing a pile fabric, such, for example, as a knit pile
fabric which incorporates any desired design in the pile of the
fabric during the manufacture of the same which is simple,
efficient, economical and readily lends itself to the production of
any desired design, pattern or configuration of the pile.
FIG. 1 is an elevation showing a new pile fabric knitting machine
of the present invention, portions being broken away to illustrate
detail.
FIG. 2 is an elevational fragmentary view showing a cylinder or
sleeve of knit pile fabric as it is produced by the machine of FIG.
1 before cutting.
FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of a piece of knit pile
fabric after cutting the cylinder along an axial line and
flattening it, but prior to clipping or shaving of the pile fibers
to a desired uniform length.
FIGS. 4 - 7 are diagrammatic fragmentary plan views each showing a
different piece of the finished fabric of the invention
exemplifying four different designs or patterns which have been
knitted therein.
FIG. 8 is a side elevation partly in section showing a new carding
or pile fiber feeding head of the present invention applied to a
conventional circular knitting machine, only a fragment of the
conventional knitting machine being shown.
FIG. 9 is a side elevation of the same head shown in FIG. 8 but
viewed from the opposite side of the head.
FIG. 10 is a schematic showing of a knitting machine provided with
the new carding head for practicing the new method of the present
invention.
FIG. 11 is a fragmentary plan view of one set of feed rollers of
the upper drawing section of the carding head for feeding one of
the rovings to the main cylinder of the carding head.
FIG. 12 is a fragmentary end elevation partly in section of the end
rolls of one drawing section.
FIG. 13 is a schematic circuit diagram showing the rheostat control
for a variable speed motor one of which is utilized for driving
each set of feed rollers of the several drawing or drafting
sections which feed the roving to the main cylinder of the carding
head.
FIG. 14 is an elevation of a dual unit control mechanism of the
present invention for automatically controlling the dual feed
carding head of FIG. 10.
FIG. 15 is a fragmentary enlarged elevation of one unit of the dual
unit control mechanism of FIG. 14.
FIG. 16 is a sectional view taken on the line 16--16 of FIG. 15 and
rotated 90.degree. to maintain the same scale.
Referring more particularly to the drawings, there is shown a
knitting machine such as a circular latch needle machine
manufactured by the Wildman Manufacturing Company of Norriston, Pa.
The circular latch needle knitting machine is old and well known
and therefore will not be described in detail, see, for example,
the U.S. patents to Schmidt U.S. Pat. No. 2,680,360, Brandt U.S.
Pat. No. 2,710,525 and Moore U.S. Pat. No. 1,848,370.
KNITTING MACHINE STRUCTURE
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 8, the so-called head ring 10, which is an
annular ring forming part of the frame of the circular knitting
machine, is supported above the floor by other parts of the frame
11. The head ring supports a ring gear 12 which is rotatable about
a vertical axis in a manner well known in the art. The drive for
the ring gear 12 is conventional and includes an electric motor M
which is connected to ring gear 12 via an electric clutch and brake
unit (not shown), belt drive D, bevel gear B and the gear shaft S.
The power for driving the main cylinder, doffer and fancy wheel of
the carding unit described hereinafter is taken from ring gear 12
by means of a gear 13 (FIG. 8) which meshes with the teeth of ring
gear 12. Gear 13 is fixed to the lower end of shaft 14 which is
journalled in the bearing housing 16 by means of ball bearing races
15. Bearing housing 16 is fixed in the base of carding unit frame
17. Bevel gear 18 is fixed to the upper end of shaft 14 and meshes
with a bevel gear 19 fixed on a horizontal drive shaft 20
journalled in frame 17.
A needle cylinder 21 is supported upon and secured by screws to
ring gear 12 for rotation therewith. Cylinder 21 carries a circular
row of latch needles 22, only a few of which are shown, which are
moved vertically by a cam 22' such as disclosed in more detail in
the U.S. patents to Schmidt U.S. Pat. No. 2,680,360 or Moore U.S.
Pat. No. 2,255,078. Since circular knitting machines for knitting
pile fabrics are well known, no further description or showing of
the knitting mechanism of the machine is necessary.
CARDING HEAD
The pile fabric knitting machine is provided with one or more
carding heads, only one of which is disclosed herein inasmuch as
the description of one carding head will apply also to the others.
As shown in FIGS. 1, 8 and 9, each carding head is carried on a
frame 17 secured by screws 23 to the frame ring 10 of the knitting
machine. The main cylinder or transfer roll 24 of the carding unit
is fixed upon a shaft 25 which is journalled at each end in the
upright side walls 26 of frame 17. Cylinder 24 is covered with a
conventional card clothing generally designated 27 which comprises
the usual cotton backing and felt body and wire teeth 28. A
conventional doffer roll 29 is fixed upon a shaft 30 which is also
journalled at each end in radially adjustable arms 31 which are
supported upon the side walls 26 of frame 17. Arms 31 are angularly
adjusted by a stop screw 32" and held in adjusted position by set
screws 32 which pass through arcuate slots 33 in each arm 31 and
screw into tapped openings in the side walls 26. Radial or
lengthwise adjustment is provided by set screws 32' and slots 33'.
The doffer roll also is covered with a conventional card clothing
such as the card clothing which covers main cylinder 24. The teeth
28 of the main cylinder or transfer roll 24 preferably just touch
the teeth 34 of the doffer roll 29.
The drive for the main cylinder or transfer roll 24 and doffer roll
29 is as follows: gear 35 (FIG. 9) is fixed on one end of shaft 20
and is thus driven off the main ring gear 12 through gear 13, shaft
14, bevel gears 18 and 19 and shaft 20. Gear 35 meshes with a gear
36 which is fixed on a shaft 37 journalled in the adjacent side
wall 26 of frame 17. Gear 36 meshes with a gear 38 fixed on a shaft
39 also journalled in the adjacent side wall 26 of the frame 17.
Gear 38 meshes with a gear 40 which is fixed on shaft 25 which
supports the main cylinder or transfer roll 24. The doffer 29 is
driven by means of a gear 41 fixed on shaft 30 which meshes with a
gear 42 fixed on shaft 43 journalled in the adjacent side wall 26
of frame 17. Gear 42 in turn is driven by gear 44 fixed on shaft
20.
The carding head of the invention illustrated herein also includes
a fancy wheel 46 (FIGS. 8 and 9) fixed on a shaft 48 journalled at
its ends in radially adjustable arms 50 attached to arms 52 by set
screws 54 which pass through slots 56 in arms 52. Each arm 52 is
integral with the arm 31 on the same side of the head and hence
moves angularly therewith during such adjustment. Fancy wheel 46 is
driven by a V-belt 58 trained around a pulley 60 fixed to shaft 30
and a pulley 62 fixed to shaft 48. Fancy wheel 46 is somewhat
similar in construction to the main cylinder 24 and doffer 29
except that the card clothing consists of longer and more widely
spaced wires 64 (FIG. 9) which preferably intermesh about
one-eighth inch with the wires 28 of main cylinder 24. The fancy
wheel 46 is substantially completely enclosed by side plates 66 and
a peripheral cover 68 which is hinged at 70 to facilitate
cleaning.
From the above description and drawings it is evident that the main
transfer cylinder 24, doffer roll 29 and fancy wheel 46 are all
driven off the ring gear 12 but at different speeds. The
aforementioned drive train elements are designed to provide a speed
ratio which by way of a preferred example is as follows:
Ring gear 12 29 R.P.M. Main cylinder or transfer roll 24 110 R.P.M.
Doffer 29 900 R.P.M. Fancy wheel 46 350 R.P.M.
this manner of driving rolls 24 and 29 and fancy wheel 46 is
preferable but is shown by way of description rather than by way of
limitation because any other driving arrangement can be provided as
long as the drive for the doffer roll, main cylinder and fancy
wheel is independent of the drive for the drawing or drafting
section of the carding unit, which will now be described.
DRAWING OR DRAFTING SECTIONS
Although the knitting machine of the invention is illustrated
herein as having but a single carding unit, it is to be understood
that each knitting machine can be provided with a plurality of
carding units arranged in angularly spaced relation around frame
ring 10. However, it is to be understood that each carding unit is
provided with a plurality, that is, two or more drafting or drawing
sections. Any suitable drawing or drafting section can be provided
for the carding unit but a preferred form is disclosed hereinafter.
As shown in simplified form in FIG. 10, two drawing or drafting
sections 72 and 74 of the carding unit feed fibers to the main
cylinder 24. By way of description, a lower drafting section 72 and
an upper drafting section 74 are shown, each of which deliver
fibers to the main cylinder 24. Each drawing or drafting section
derives these fibers from a separate roving 76 and 78 respectively
and acts upon the roving to progressively attenuate, flatten, and
widen the same by the drawing action and to preferably convert the
roving into a thin, relatively wide web of parallelized fibers
uniformly distributed across the width of said web.
Each drafting section is driven independently of the main cylinder
24, preferably by a conventional direct current variable speed
motor 80 (FIG. 8) and 82 (FIG. 9) for sections 72 and 74,
respectively. However, other suitable types of motors or speed
regulatable driving means may also be used. Since the driving
arrangement for each drafting section is identical only the drive
for the lower drafting section 72 will be described. Referring to
FIG. 8, motor 80 drives the lower drafting section 72 through a
reduction gearing 84 which, by way of example, has a reduction
ratio of about 15 to 1. As shown schematically in FIG. 13, motor 80
is connected into a conventional control unit 86 which includes a
rheostat 88 in series with the motor leads 90, 92. Each motor is
provided with an identical control unit designated 86 for the right
hand motor 80 and 94 for the left hand motor 82 as viewed on the
frame 10 in FIG. 1. Rheostat 88 of unit 86 may be manually rotated
to vary the speed of motor 80 and rheostat 96 likewise operated to
control the speed of motor 82. Each motor 80, 82 and associated
reduction gearing and speed control unit are available commercially
as a unit and may, for example, comprise the 1/8 Horsepower Motor
Speed Control unit sold under the trademark "RATIOTROL" by Boston
Gear Works of Quincy Mass.
As shown in FIG. 10, each drafting section 72, 74 comprises three
pairs of counter-rotating meshing rollers 100, 102, 104, 106, 108
and 110, respectively, fixed to shafts 100', 102', 104', 106', 108'
and 110'. Referring again to FIG. 8, shafts 100' and 102' are
supported at their ends in a pair of arms 112 pivoted at 114 on
frame 17 and held in adjusted position by a set screw 116 which
passes through a slot in arm 112 and threads into frame 17. Shafts
104', 106' and shafts 108' and 110' are similarly supported in
pairs f arms 118 and 120 respectively. Shafts 100' and 104' are
journalled in adjustable bearing blocks 122 which are biased by
springs 124 toward shafts 102' and 106' respectively, thereby
providing a floating mount of the first and second upper rollers to
accommodate variations in roving density. However, as shown in FIG.
12, shaft 108' is journalled in fixed position relative to shaft
110'.
As best shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, feed rollers 100, 102 and 104,
106 of the first and second pairs are formed with helical
intermeshing teeth 126 and 128. However, the second pair of rollers
are arranged so that their helical teeth are reversed from those of
the first set of rollers. The helical intermeshing teeth cause the
roving 76 drawn therebetween to be widened as well as flattened due
to the helical shape of the teeth pulling the fibers laterally
apart. The helical intermeshing teeth also tend to shift the entire
web laterally as it emerges from rollers 100, 102, but this effect
is corrected by the reversed relationship of the helix angles of
the first and second pairs of rollers since the entire web is
shifted laterally in the opposite direction as it emerges from the
second pair of rollers. The teeth 130 of the third set of rollers
108, 110 are straight rather than helical, and this set feeds the
attenuated, flattened and widened roving onto the card clothing 27
of cylinder 24. Preferably rollers 108, 110 are positioned so that
they are spaced about three thirty-secondths of an inch from the
ends of wires 28 of main cylinder 24.
As shown in FIG. 8, the feed rollers of drafting section 72 are
driven by a gear train including the drive gear 132 of the
reduction gear unit 84 which meshes with a gear 133 fixed on one
end of shaft 108'.The other end of shaft 108' (FIG. 9) carries a
gear 134 which drives via an idler gear 135 a gear 136 fixed on
shaft 106'. A gear 137 fixed on the other end of shaft 106' (FIG.
8) drives an idler 138 which in turn drives a gear 139 fixed on
shaft 102'. Thus one roller of each pair is driven by the gear
train elements while the other roller of each pair is an idler
driven by the intermeshing engagement with the driven roller. The
second pair of rollers 104, 106 preferably rotate at about 2 1/2
times the speed of the first pair of rollers 100 and 102, and the
third set of rollers 108, 110 rotate at about 2 1/2 times the speed
of the second pair of rollers to thereby cause the attenuating
action on the roving as it is fed through the drafting section.
Each drafting section 72, 74 also has an apron 140 and 141
respectively adapted to receive the rovings 76 and 78 from their
bins or other source of supply thereof and to carry the roving to
the first set of feed rollers 100 and 102. As shown in FIGS. 1 and
11, aprons 140 and 141 each support a cross bar 142 and 144 each of
which slidably supports a pair of adjustable guide posts 146, 148
respectively. The guide posts are held in adjusted position by set
screws threaded in their upper ends which engage the cross bar. The
posts are set so that they are spaced laterally apart slightly less
than the average width of the roving. As viewed in FIG. 1, guide
posts 146 of the upper drafting section 74 are offset towards the
left side of apron 141, while posts 148 of the lower drafting
section are offset towards the right side of apron 140. This
staggered relationship of the roving guides causes roving 78 to be
fed into upper drafting section 74 close to one side of the feed
rollers. As shown in FIG. 11, this in turn causes roving 78 to
emerge from the third set of rollers 108, 110 with its outer edge
150 adjacent side edge 152 of main cylinder 24. Similarly, roving
76 is fed by the lower drafting section 72 onto main cylinder 24
with its outer edge 154 adjacent the opposite side edge 155 of main
cylinder 24. As indicated by the arrows in FIG. 11, the inner edges
of rovings 76 and 78 overlap one another.
This staggered relationship of the guides of one drafting section
relative to the guides of the next drafting section has been found
to be important in preventing a tendency of the rovings to stack or
stratify on main cylinder 24 and in promoting the blending of the
pile fibers from one roving with the other in the end product. It
is to be understood that the staggered relationship of the rovings
as they are fed onto the main cylinder is also desirable in the
event that three or more drafting sections are employed with a
single carding wheel in accordance with the present invention.
Each drafting section 72, 74 also has a cylindrical brush 156
(FIGS. 8, 9 and 10) supported at its ends in the upper ends of arms
120 in a friction mount so that the brush normally remains
stationary but may be rotated manually as required to present a
fresh surface to card clothing 27 and to even up wear on the brush.
The bristles of brush 156 just touch the ends of the wires 28 of
main cylinder 24 and assist in spreading and smoothing the fibers
just after they have been picked up by the main cylinder from each
drafting section.
AUTOMATIC CONTROL MECHANISM
Although the knitting machine of the present invention is readily
susceptible to manual control by means of the control units 86 and
94 shown in FIG. 1, it is preferred to provide an automatic control
mechanism to insure uniformity of product on a production basis as
well as for economy of manufacture. One example of an automatic
control mechanism is illustrated in FIGS. 14 - 16 wherein an
electro-mechanical type control unit 160 is shown for controlling
the previously described dual feed carding head of the invention.
Control unit 160 comprises an identical pair of stepping rheostat
control mechanisms 162 and 164 enclosed in a common housing, unit
162 being electrically connected to motor 80 and unit 164 being
electrically connected to motor 82.
Control mechanism 162 is shown in detail in FIGS. 15 and 16, and
since this mechanism is identical to control mechanism 164 a
description of it will suffice for both. Control mechanism 162
includes a conventional rheostat motor speed control unit 166
identical to units 86 and 94 described previously except that the
finger knob 171 (FIG. 1) on the end of the rheostat armature shaft
172 is replaced by a pair of ratchet wheels 168 and 170 fixed to
shaft 172. Wheel 168 is driven in a counterclockwise direction as
viewed in FIG. 15 by a pawl 174 fixed on a post 176 which in turn
is pivotally carried by an arm 178 pivoted at one end on shaft 172
and disposed between ratchet wheels 168 and 170. The outer end of
arm 178 carries a plate 180 which depends therefrom and supports a
post 182 connected by a link 184 to the armature 186 of a
conventional solenoid 188. A tension spring 190 is connected at one
end to a pivot pin 192 which interconnects link 184 and armature
186. Spring 190 is connected at its other end to an arm 194 affixed
to a bracket 196 mounted on unit 166. The limit of pivotal movement
of arm 178 in a counterclockwise direction is determined by a screw
198 threaded into bracket 196. Another screw 200 is threaded into a
bracket 202 also fixed to unit 166 and provides an adjustable stop
for limiting pivotal movement of arm 178 in a clockwise direction
as viewed in FIG. 15.
The outer ratchet wheel 168 is normally held against reverse
rotation by a detent comprising a spring arm 204 secured at one end
to bracket 196 and adapted to engage the teeth 206 of ratchet 168
at its free end. Similarly, reverse rotation of ratchet 170 is
normally prevented by a spring arm 208 secured at one end to
bracket 202 and adapted at its free end to engage the teeth 210 of
ratchet 170. Arm 178 has a pair of wings 212 and 214 which carry
screws 216 and 218 respectively. Screw 216 is adjusted to engage
detent 204 as arm 178 approaches the counterclockwise limit of its
travel, while screw 218 is adapted to engage detent 208 when arm
178 approaches the clockwise limit of its travel.
Pawl 174 is biased into engagement with teeth 206 of ratchet 168 by
a tension spring 220. Spring 220 is connected at one end to a post
222 which is fixed to the outer end of an adjusting screw 224
threaded into the outer end of arm 178. The other end of spring 220
is connected to the bent-up end of an arm 226 which extends through
post 176 and is fixed thereto. Post 176 carries another pawl 228
which is disposed adjacent teeth 210 of the lower ratchet 170, pawl
228 being held clear of teeth 210 by spring 220 when pawl 174 is
working against the upper ratchet 168.
A pair of reversing dogs 230 and 232 are secured to the outer
surface of ratchet 168 by screws 234 which are threadably received
in one of ten threaded holes 236 provided at equally spaced angular
intervals around ratchet 168.
The solenoid 188 of unit 162 and the corresponding solenoid of unit
164 may be energized by any suitable timing device. However for
ease of synchronization it is preferred to mount one or more
microswitches 237 (FIG. 8) adjacent ring gear 12 or other rotating
part of the knitting machine, and to mount a switch-actuating arm
238 on the rotating part in a position to strike the microswitch
once during revolution of the rotating part. The microswitch is
connected as an on-off switch in a conventional solenoid energizing
circuit (not shown). By providing two or more actuating arms 238
equally spaced around the rotating part, the number of
solenoid-actuating impulses per revolution of the rotating part can
be increased as desired to thereby increase the speed of rotation
of the ratchet wheels 168, 170.
In operation, solenoid 188 is energized to retract armature 186
which, via link 184, pulls arm 178 in a clockwise direction as
viewed in FIG. 15. As arm 178 begins to move clockwise, screw 216
disengages detent 204, allowing it to seat between teeth 206 of
ratchet 168 to prevent reverse rotation thereof as pawl 174 is
dragged clockwise back over a tooth and then engages behind the
next tooth. Just before arm 178 strikes screw 200 in its clockwise
stroke, screw 218 strikes detent 208 to disengage its free end from
a tooth 210 of lower ratchet 170.
Upon de-energization of solenoid 188, spring 190 pulls armature 186
outwardly and, via link 184, pulls arm 178 in a counterclockwise
direction, thereby rotating ratchets 168 and 170 one notch in a
counterclockwise direction until arm 178 strikes limit screw 198.
Screw 218 is adjusted to disengage detent 208 during the
counterclockwise stroke of arm 178 just after the peak of a tooth
210 has passed under the free end of detent arm 208. The free end
of detent 208 then rides down the back of this tooth until ratchet
170 has been rotated one notch, whereupon detent 208 strikes the
leading edge of the next tooth at the same time that arm 178
strikes stop 198. Detent 208 thus serves at this time as a positive
stop to prevent overshooting of the ratchets as they are rotated
notch by notch in a clockwise direction.
The above sequence is repeated until dog 230 rotates into
engagement with arm 226 and pivots this arm to the other side of a
center line drawn through the axis of post 176 and post 222,
whereupon spring 220 exerts a clockwise moment on arm 226 to rotate
post 176 until the pawl 228 is pivoted into engagement with the
lower ratchet 170 and pawl 174 is simultaneously retracted. A
clockwise stroke of arm 178 now causes ratchets 168, 170 to rotate
clockwise one notch, and the counterclockwise stroke of arm 178 is
the return stroke for pawl 228. Ratchets 168 and 170 are thus
rotated clockwise one notch at a time by successive clockwise
strokes of arm 178 until the other reversing dog 232 strikes arm
226 and pivots it past its overcenter position, whereupon spring
220 exerts a counterclockwise moment to return pawl 174 to the
engaged position and to hold pawl 228 disengaged.
The solenoid of control mechanism 164 for motor 82 is also
connected in the microswitch circuit of control mechanism 162 so
that control mechanisms 162 and 164 operate in unison. One rheostat
of unit 160 is wired so that clockwise rotation thereof increases
the speed of the associated motor, while the rheostat of the other
unit is wired so that clockwise rotation thereof decreases the
speed of the motor connected to the latter unit. Normally a
180.degree. out of phase relationship is preferred so that the
speed of one motor reaches its maximum when the other motor reaches
its minimum, and vice versa, the sum of the individual speeds
always remaining constant. Since the rate at which rovings 76 and
78 are fed to the main cylinder 24 varies directly with the speed
of motors 80 and 82 respectively, the rate of feed of roving 76 is
at its maximum when the rate of feed of roving 78 is at its
minimum, and vice versa. Hence the sum of the rates of feed will
also remain constant, thereby causing the total quantity of fibers
delivered by the drafting sections to the main cylinder 24, doffer
29 and needles 22 per unit of time to remain substantially uniform.
In this manner the number of pile fibers in each pile element or
bundle knitted into the base yarn remains substantially constant,
although the quantity of fibers derived respectively from roving 76
and roving 78 varies continuously as a function of the rate of
roving feed, the speed of needle cylinder 21 being kept
constant.
METHOD AND MODE OF OPERATING MACHINE TO
PRODUCE BLENDED, PATTERNED OR FUR-LIKE
KNITTED PILE FABRIC
With the above-described pile fabric knitting machine of the
present invention, it is now possible to produce a variety of novel
knit pile fabrics as exemplified by the four different fabrics
illustrated schematically in FIGS. 4, 5, 6 and 7. The fabric 250
shown in FIG. 4 is a knit pile fabric made to resemble a natural
mink pelt but otherwise is somewhat similar in structure to that
illustrated in the U.S. patent to Moore U.S. Pat. No. 1,791,741
when greatly enlarged and dissected. However, instead of the
individual fibers of the pile elements all having the same physical
characteristics, each pile element is made up of a substantially
constant number N of fibers including X number of fibers of one
color and Y number of fibers of another color corresponding, for
example, to the two basic colors found in the fur of the animal
which is being simulated.
By way of example, fabric 250 is made up of a row 252 containing a
predominance of brown fibers in each pile element adjacent to a row
254 containing a predominance of gray fibers in each pile element.
Rows 252 and 254 extend coursewise of the fabric (circumferentially
of knitting cylinder 21 as the fabric is being knit) and alternate
with respect to one another in the direction of the wales of the
fabric. It is to be noted that the brown rows or stripes 252 merge
very gradually into the adjacent gray stripes 254, and vice versa,
taken in the direction of the wales of the fabric in the same
manner that the brown and gray stripes in a mink pelt gradually
blend into one another. Thus in appearance fabric 250 is a very
close approximation of the natural mink fur.
To manufacture the fur-like fabric 250 of the present invention,
the previously described dual feed carding head having the upper
and lower drafting sections 74 and 72 is employed. A roving 76 of
gray fibers is fed through guide posts 148 of the lower drafting
section 72 and between the three pairs of feed rollers, following
the aforementioned staggered or offset set-up procedure. A roving
78 of brown fibers is similarly fed into the upper drafting section
74. The base strand or yarn 260 (FIG. 1) is then fed in the usual
manner through the conventional guides and tube 262 and threaded
into the circular row of latch needles 22 as is well known in the
art. Once the roving and yarn set-up is completed, the control
mechanism 160 is adjusted to produce the desired stripe width,
e.g., the dimension taken in the direction of the wales of the
fabric between the center line of the brown stripe 252 to the
center line of the adjacent gray stripe 254. This is determined by
the angular spacing of reversing dogs 230 and 232, with the speed
of rotation of the knitting cylinder 21 taken as the constant
reference point. For example, assume that the machine is set up to
knit 29 courses of base fabric per minute and that the stripe width
is to be 87 courses or about 3 inches. For this size of stripe the
reversing dogs 230 and 232 are spaced angularly apart on ratchet
168 so that it requires three minutes from the time one dog leaves
arm 226 until the other dog strikes arm 226 to reverse the rotation
of the rheostat.
After the above setup is completed, motor M is connected to drive
knitting cylinder 21 at a constant rotational speed, thereby
causing main cylinder 24, doffer 29 and fancy wheel 46 to rotate at
the aforementioned constant speed ratio. However, the rate of feed
of rovings 76 and 78 is controlled independently of the other
elements of the carding head by control unit 160. Assume that
rheostat unit 162 controls the rate of feed of gray roving 76 and
that it is at the maximum speed setting, and that rheostat unit 164
controlling the rate of speed of brown roving 78 is at the minimum
speed setting. The gray roving 76 will thus be fed at full speed
through the lower drafting section 72 onto the card clothing 27 of
main cylinder 24 which carries it clockwise (FIG. 10) first past
brush 156 and then up past the upper drafting section 74 where
brown roving 78 is being fed at slow speed onto the periphery of
cylinder 24. Due to the staggered relation of rovings 76 and 78,
the brown roving will be laid over the gray roving 76 with a slight
overlap as indicated in FIG. 11, thereby covering substantially all
of the transverse width of cylinder 24 with gray and brown fibers.
The gray and brown fibers are then carried under brush 156 of
drafting section 78 and onward to fancy wheel 46.
It is to be noted at this point that the fancy wheel wires 64
intermesh about one-eighth inch with the wires 28 of the carding
wheel (FIG. 9). Wheel 46 does not function as a transfer roll but
rather operates to raise the fibers being carried by the card
clothing 27 of main cylinder 24 from the bottom of the clothing up
to the outer surface of the clothing for presentation to doffer 29,
thereby promoting a greater transfer of fibers from the main
cylinder 24 to the doffer 29. The pile density of the fabrics
hereunder consideration normally ranges from about 1 pound to about
5 pounds per square yard. When making the lighter density fabrics,
fancy wheel 46 may be omitted but its use is recommended when
making the greater density fabrics and high rates of roving feed
are encountered. Wheel 46 also is beneficial in causing some degree
of intermixing of the gray and brown fibers as they are being
carried on the main cylinder 22.
The fibers then reach the tangential contact point of cylinder 24
with doffer 29, which is rotating counterclockwise as viewed in
FIG. 10 at about 5 times the speed of cylinder 24. The wires 34 of
doffer 29 preferably just touch wires 28 of main cylinder 24 and
pick up the fibers which have been raised to the surface of the
clothing 27, plus whatever fibers are entangled with the surface
fibers. The balance of the fibers continue on around with cylinder
24 and become mixed with the fibers being added at drafting
sections 72 and 74. The transfer of fibers to doffer 29 causes some
further mixing of the brown and gray fibers. The fibers are then
carried counterclockwise on doffer 29 past the path of travel of
needles 22 which are elevated as they approach doffer 29 so that
the upper hook end of the needle penetrates the card clothing of
the doffer. Needles 22 enter at one edge of the doffer clothing and
rake across the clothing with their latches 264 open, as shown in
FIGS. 8 and 10. During this traverse, each needle picks up a bundle
of pile fibers which represents an average sampling of the relative
amounts of gray and brown fibers then present on the doffer.
Thus, in the example given where initially the maximum amount of
gray fibers and the minimum amount of brown fibers are being fed to
the main cylinder, approximately these same proportions of gray and
brown fibers will be present in the bundle of fibers on the needle,
allowing for a slight lag due to the transfer time from the
drafting section to the needle. There is also a further
intermingling of gray and brown fibers as they are accumulated in a
bundle on each needle during its traverse of the doffer. This
intermixing within each bundle is further promoted by the action of
the needle as it knits the pile fibers into the base fabric to form
the cylindrical sleeve 266 (FIG. 2) in the machine.
The resulting color of each bundle visible to the naked eye has
been found to generally follow the principles of color blending of
paints; that is, if a bundle contains 50 percent of gray fibers and
50 percent of brown fibers it will appear to be an intermediate
color such as that resulting from mixing an equal quantity of gray
and brown pigment. Hence the physical intermixture of the fibers
which takes place on the carding head and in knitting the pile into
the base fabric is herein termed a "blending" action, although
under microscopic enlargement the individual or discrete physical
characteristics which distinguish the fibers of one roving from the
other is always identifiable.
Continuing with the above example, the rate of feed of the gray
roving 76 is gradually diminished under the control of motor 80 as
rheostat unit 162 rotates step by step clockwise, while
simultaneously the speed of motor 82 and consequently the rate of
feed of brown roving 78 is gradually increased under the control of
unit 164. Hence, the first few courses knitted in the sleeve 262
will be predominantly gray. As the amount of brown fibers increase
and the amount of gray fibers diminish, the next courses knit by
the machine will become more brown in hue, this transition
continuing until the maximum brown and minimum gray is being fed by
the carding head to the needles, whereupon several courses of
predominantly brown knit pile fabric are produced. When the control
units 162, 164 simultaneously reverse, the percent of brown fibers
will again start to diminish and the gray fibers begin to increase
from their minimum, thereby producing a gradual return to courses
of intermediate gray-brown hues. When the gray fibers predominate
once more, the center of the next gray stripe 254 will have been
produced.
The above sequence is automatically repeated until the entire
sleeve 266 is knit, and then the machine is shut down automatically
or manually and the sleeve removed from the machine. Sleeve 266 is
then cut along an axial line 268 (FIG. 2) and laid open for
subsequent treatment, including shaving along a line 270 as
illustrated in FIG. 3, followed by subsequent backing and polishing
steps as conventionally practiced in the manufacture of ordinary
pile fabrics.
Although the above example dealt with only one variable, e.g., the
color of the pile fibers knitted into the base fabric, it is to be
understood that pile fibers differing with respect to one or more
other physical characteristics, such as the denier of the fibers,
average length of the fibers or the material from which the fiber
is made, may be intermixed in accordance with the present
invention. Thus fibers of two colors and 2 deniers, for example,
may be blended in varying amounts to produce a striped pattern
which also alternates as to the coarseness of the pile.
Although a dual feed carding head is illustrated herein, it is also
possible to arrange three or more drafting sections around the
carding cylinder 24, a larger cylinder being required as the number
of drafting sections is increased. This enables a greater number of
separate and different rovings to be employed in making a blended
knit pile fabric.
With the above variations in mind, it will be understood that the
number of possible new products which can be manufactured employing
the method and/or machine of the present invention is almost
limitless. Another feature is that a skilled operator, by
manipulating the manual rheostat controls 86 and 94 as illustrated
in FIG. 1, can "paint" various patterns and designs by varying the
blend of the fibers knitted into the fabric as desired. Once a
pleasing pattern is obtained, the control sequence required can be
computed from the finished fabric and the sequence translated to
computer tape for operating an automated production line.
Moreover, the blending carding head of the present invention is
advantageous even when two different rovings are fed to the carding
head at equal and constant rates of feed. The end product resulting
from this method and mode of operating the machine is illustrated
by the knitted pile fabric 272 shown schematically in FIG. 7.
Fabric 272 has an improved blend of the two fibers over that
hitherto obtainable by feeding two rovings of differently colored
fiber into a single drafting section. The two different fibers are
more thoroughly intermixed and less readily recognizable to the
naked eye which, in the case of a two-color blend, means a more
solid shade of an intermediate hue.
A further example of the product possibilities obtainable with a
carding head having a plurality of individually controllable
drafting sections is exemplified by the checkerboard patterns
produced in the fabrics 274 and 276 illustrated respectively in
FIGS. 5 and 6. In order to produce patterns of this nature, a
suitable phase control of the two motors is provided by
microswitches arranged in the manner of the timing switch or
switches previously described for ratchet rheostat unit 160 or by
other conventional timer controls. With such a control the motors
80 and 82 are alternately turned on and off to first cause a feed
solely of one roving followed by a feed solely of the other roving
in an alternating sequence within each course of the sleeve 266 as
it is knit. Thus in the first row 278 of fabric 274 (FIG. 5)
several courses of fibers 280 from one roving alternate coursewise
with several courses of fibers 282 from the other roving. After the
number of courses making up the first row 278 have been knit, a
suitable phase shift control or other device causes the roving feed
to continue for a double interval and thereafter the original
sequence resumes, thereby knitting the second row 284 of fabric 274
wherein the fibers 282 are adjacent fibers 280 of the row 278 and
fibers 280 of the row 284 are adjacent fibers 282 of row 278.
As used herein, the term "physical characteristics" when referring
to the properties of the individual fibers, either natural or
synthetic or a mixture of the same, making up each pile element or
bundle in the fabric is used generically to encompass both visually
identifiable properties such as color, length, denier and size as
well as other physical properties identifiable only by test or
analysis, such as strength. It is also to be understood that the
individual rovings 76, 78 may be made up of mixtures of fibers,
either natural or synthetic, having different characteristics and
such mixed rovings fed separately onto the carding means in the
practice of the present invention.
Another important variable which is controllable in a predetermined
manner in the practice of the present invention is the density of
the pile fibers within the fabric. Although previous examples have
dealt with varying the blend of pile fibers while making a knit
pile fabric having a pile of substantially uniform density
throughout the fabric, it is to be understood that the density of
the pile can be readily varied walewise and/or coursewise of the
fabric to produce pattern effects or to simulate the manner in
which the density of animal hair varies in a natural fur pelt. For
example, the hair on the back of the fur-bearing animal being
simulated may be denser than that on the belly. Therefore to
produce an accurate reproduction of such fur in a knit pile fabric
in accordance with the present invention, the combined rate of feed
of the separate rovings 76 and 78 is varied as the base fabric is
being knit as a function of the portions of the sleeve 266
corresponding to the back and belly in such a manner as to simulate
this natural condition. This in turn causes the total number of
pile fibers per bundle to vary as the fabric is being knit. In
making fabric 250 of FIG. 4, this density variable may be
superimposed on the color variable which is controlled to produce
the alternating brown and gray striped effect. However, if desired
the density or total number of pile fibers per bundle may be the
sole variable knit into the fabric.
One way of achieving variable density of the fabric pile is by
manual operation of rheostat control units 86 and 94 in such a
manner that the combined rate of feed of rovings 76 and 78 is
varied to increase or decrease the density of the pile fibers as
required to produce the desired density variation in the pile of
the fabric as it is being knit. For example, units 86 and 94 may
both be rotated at the same time to increase the speed of motors 80
and 82 at the same rate. This will maintain a constant ratio of
fibers derived from the respective rovings, such as 50 percent from
roving 76 and 50 percent from roving 78, while increasing the total
number of fibers delivered to each needle and hence the total
number of fibers per bundle element.
If it is desired to combine a striping effect with a progressive
stepped variation in pile density, then the two controls 86 and 94
may be operated in the 180.degree. out-of-phase relationship (i.e.,
as the speed of one motor increases the speed of the other
correspondingly decreases) previously described through a
progression of ranges. Thus, in the first range control 86 may be
rotated to vary the speed of motor 80 from say 0 percent to 10
percent of its maximum speed while control 94 is operated to
decrease the speed of motor 82 from 10 percent down to 0 percent of
its maximum speed, and vice versa. The resulting pile density will
then be equal to the number of fibers fed by one drafting section
72 or 74 operating at 10 percent of maximum speed. Then the range
may be shifted upwardly so that controls 86 and 94 are similarly
operated to run motors 80 and 82 between 10 percent and 20 percent
of their maximum speed. This will cause the same striping effect
due to the 180.degree. out-of-phase variation between the two
controls 86 and 94, but the pile density will be increased and
equal to that produced by one drafting section operating at 30
percent of its maximum speed. This progression can be continued
until the motors are being operated 180.degree. out-of-phase
between 90 percent and 100 percent of their maximum speeds. When so
operating in the ranges over 50 percent of maximum speed, the
resulting pile density will be greater than that produced in the
earlier described example wherein each motor varied between its
minimum and maximum speeds in a 180.degree. out-of-phase
relationship to produce a uniform pile density equal to the maximum
output of one drafting section, e.g., 50 percent of total pile
delivering capacity of the dual feed carding head.
It is also possible to produce a pelting action without a striping
effect wherein the density of the pile is varied to simulate the
thick fur on the back of a solid color animal and then the thinner
fur on the belly. To achieve this effect it is only necessary to
operate the two controls 86 and 94 in unison between a minimum of
say 30 percent of full speed on each control and a maximum of 70
percent of full speed on each control while the machine is knitting
a portion of the sleeve corresponding to the center of the belly to
the center of the back. Then controls 86 and 94 are rotated in
unison from the aforesaid maximum back to the aforesaid minimum
speed settings as the machine knits the portion of the fabric
corresponding to the other half of the pelt. By so maintaining a
constant feed ratio between two differently colored rovings while
varying their combined feed rate, a pelt of varying density but of
one blended color will be knit. Of course, two rovings of the same
color may also be fed by the two drafting sections 72 and 74 in the
above manner when producing a solid color pelt, or only one
drafting section 72 need be used to feed one suitably colored
roving. In the latter case, the rate of feed of the sole roving is
controlled by using just the one control 86 to vary the density of
the pile fiber bundles being knit into the fabric.
To produce a combined color striping and pelting action by manual
control, two differently colored rovings 76 and 78 are fed via
drafting sections 72 and 74. As an example, when the belly portion
is being knit, control 86 is first increased from 10 to 20 percent
of full speed while control 94 is decreased from 20 to 10 percent
of full speed, and vice versa, for a given period of time
corresponding to several courses of fabric. Then, in the next
successive time periods, the ranges are gradually increased to
between 11 to 22 percent, 12 to 24 percent, 13 to 26 percent and so
on, of full speed for each control while still maintaining the
180.degree. out-of-phase manipulation. This produces a gradual
increase in density while maintaining the color pattern, e.g.,
stripe width and color variation from stripe to stripe. When the
back portion is reached the two controls will then, for example, be
manipulated between 50 to 100 percent of their respective full
speeds, thereby producing a density of pile in the fabric five
times that knit at the start of the belly portion. The sequence is
then reversed until the belly portion (the opposite coursewise edge
of the finished fabric) is reached.
It is also possible to have one color or other characteristic of
the fiber predominate over another color or characteristic
throughout the fabric and still obtain the striped effect. For
example, the gray fibers may predominate throughout the fabric by
controlling the rate of feed of gray roving so that it ranges
between predetermined limits, say from 70 to 80 percent of the
fiber content of the fabric, while the brown fibers are fed at a
rate such that they range between 20 and 30 percent of the fiber
content. When the relative amounts of these two colors vary in the
180.degree. out-of-phase sequence previously described, a striped
effect results with the gray hue predominating.
A third drafting section similar to and in addition to drafting
sections 72 and 74 may be used to feed a third roving made up of
fiber "guard hairs" to the carding head at a rate correlated with
the feed of rovings 76 and 78. This will result in extra-long,
heavier denier pile fibers 255 (FIG. 4) being scattered throughout
the fabric 250 in a predetermined arrangement to simulate the way
in which such guard hairs occur in the pelt of a furbearing animal.
The third drafting section may be omitted and the fiber "guard
hairs" mixed into the rovings 76 and/or 78 prior to feeding these
rovings to their respective drafting sections 72 and 74.
It is also to be understood that various control systems other than
the manual system shown in conjunction with FIG. 1 and the
electro-mechanical stepping rheostat type shown in conjunction with
FIGS. 14 - 16 may be employed to control the machine of the
invention in accordance with the method of the invention. For
example, the rheostat associated with each motor of the respective
drafting or drawing section may be controlled by a control
mechanism wherein a cam or cams control the operation of
servo-motors which in turn control rotation of the rheostat
armatures. In this manner, a particular fabric design representing
the combination of one or more variables may be produced by
providing suitably designed cams to reproduce this fabric. By
providing a stock of such cams, one for each different pattern,
set-up time can be considerably reduced and uniformity of product
consistently obtained. Such servo-motors are also readily adapted
to computer control where the design information may be recorded on
computer tapes for use in a high production, completely automated
set-up.
The manner in which the needles 22 knit the pile bundles or
elements into the base yarn as the base fabric is knit is well
understood in the art and set forth in more detail in the United
States Schmidt U.S. Pat. No. 2,630,619 and the United States Moore
U.S. Pat. No. 2,255,078.
* * * * *