Alandale Industries, Inc.

Monarch Knitting Machinery Corporation

Other

Monatex S.a.

Alandale Knitting Company

Mayer & Cie. Gmbh & Co.

Microtrak, Inc.

Alan Gutschmit

Paul W York

Bruce M Pernick

Philip Renda

John C Queen

An apparatus for detecting broken hooks of needles in a knitting machine having first and second cam faces defining a cam for slidably receiving needle butts. The cam includes a raising cam portion, a stitch cam portion, and a welt cam portion in which tension forces between yarn loops and hooks bias the butts of intact needles against the first cam face. The detector has a detector butt raising segment wherein the second cam face in the welt cam portion is inclined away from the second cam face at the stitch position for urging butts toward the first cam face. A detector butt lowering segment follows the detector butt raising segment, in which the first cam face urges the butts toward the second cam face. A recess segment follows the butt lowering segment. The recess is formed so that the second cam face is sufficiently spaced from the first cam face so that butts of needles having broken hooks are urged into the recess segment by the detector butt lowering segment, but butts of intact needles that are biased against the first cam face do not enter the detector recess segment. A sensor identifies terminating ends of needles whose butts are in the detector recess segment. The apparatus may further include means for stopping operation of the knitting machine when the sensor is activated. A method for detecting broken hooks is also provided, as are needles that are for use with the apparatus.

Apparatus and method for detecting broken hooks of needles in a knitting machine, and needles for use with same

A readily replaceable restricting member is within an annular receiving channel that is defined by a cylindrical portion of a circular knitting machine, and the restricting member is operative to restrict at least upward or downward movement of the sinkers of the circular knitting machine. The sinkers are operative for reciprocating radially relative to the cylindrical portion and the restricting member such that sliding contact is defined between the sinkers and the biased restricting member. In accordance with several of the embodiments of the present invention, each of the sinkers comprises an upper nib and a lower nib, a radially extending slot is defined between the upper nib and the lower nib, and the slot is open at the leading edge of the sinker. In accordance with several embodiments of the present invention, the restricting member is in the travel paths of the sinkers so that the biased restricting member is at least partially received within the radially extending slots in response to the radial reciprocating of the sinkers. In various combinations, upper surfaces of the lower nibs contact the restricting member, lower surfaces of the upper nibs contact the restricting member, and lower surfaces of the sinkers contact the restricting member, so that movement of the sinkers is restricted. In accordance with several embodiments of the present invention, the restricting member is biasedly engaged within the receiving channel.

Circular knitting machine with replaceable member for restricting vertical movement of sinkers

Apparatus for detecting broken hooks of needles in a knitting machine having first and second cam faces defining a cam for slidably receiving needle butts. The cam includes a raising cam portion, a stitch cam portion, and a gate cam portion in which tension forces between yarn loops and hooks bias the butts of intact needles against the first cam face. The detector has a detector butt raising segment wherein the second cam face in the gate cam portion is inclined away from the second cam face at the stitch position for urging butts toward the first cam face. A detector butt lowering segment follows the detector butt raising segment, in which the first cam face urges the butts toward the second cam face. A recess segment follows the butt lowering segment. The recess is formed so that the second cam face is sufficiently spaced from the first cam face so that butts of needles having broken hooks are urged into the recess segment by the detector butt lowering segment but butts of intact needles that are biased against the first cam face do not enter the detector recess segment. A sensor identifies butts of broken needles in the detector recess segment. The apparatus may further include means for stopping operation of the knitting machine when the sensor is activated. A method for detecting broken hooks is also provided.

Apparatus and method for detecting broken hooks of needles in a knitting

The accumulation of lint, debris and other contaminants in the needle and dial slots of a circular knitting machine can be significantly reduced by enclosing an annular air chamber spanning between the cylinder and dial and delivering a pressurized airstream into the chamber. The airstream can necessarily escape from the chamber only upwardly through the spacing between the cylinder and dial where the airstream serves to blow lint, debris and contaminants away from the critical knitting elements (e.g., needles and sinkers) and prevent the accumulation of such materials within the cylinder and dial slots. The conventional need for flushing the cylinder slots can be reduced or eliminated.

Means for deterring lint and debris accumulation on the knitting

A debris cleaning apparatus for a circular knitting machine includes a horizontal radial support arm rotatably mounted coaxially to the machine frame with a rotary paddle-type fan mounted to one outward end of the support arm for movement within a circular range of motion and a counterweight mounted to the other outward end of the support arm. A drive motor imparts circular motion to the fan either in a vertical plane or in a conical path of motion, wherein the line of force of the fan is substantially maintained out of co-planar relation with the central axis of the machine. In this manner, the moving airstream generated by the fan provides a motive force for propelling the support arm to rotate about the central axis at a cyclically varying speed of rotation, either reversingly or in a single rotational direction. Thus, the airstream is directed through its range of movement over the knitting and yarn feeding instrumentalities of the machine about its full circumferential extent to blow lint from surfaces. In another embodiment, two auxiliary fans are operated alternately to propel the support arm reversibly in opposite directions.

Debris cleaning apparatus for circular knitting machines and like

An apparatus and method for flushing lint and other debris from the cylinder needle and sinker rest ring slots of a circular knitting machine utilizes a pair of nozzles disposed closely adjacent the upper end of the cylinder to inject into the slots from one nozzle a narrow pressurized stream of flushing oil and from the other nozzle a similar stream of pressurized air, either on an alternating or simultaneous basis, periodically over the course of operation of the knitting machine, preferably once every twenty-four hours, i.e. three work shifts, of machine operation.

Apparatus and method for flushing debris from the cylinder slots of

A debris cleaning apparatus (10) for a circular knitting machine (12) includes a horizontal radial support arm (24) rotatably mounted coaxially to the machine frame (14) with a rotary paddle-type fan (26) pivotably mounted to the outward end of the support arm for oscillating movement within a vertical plane. A drive motor (38) rotates the support arm and fan as a unit while simultaneously imparting oscillating movement to the fan (26) through an eccentrically driven actuating arm (56). In this manner, a moving airstream generated by the fan is directed through the range of its oscillating movement over the knitting and yarn feeding instrumentalities of the machine about its full circumferential extent to blow lint from the surfaces.

Debris cleaning apparatus for circular knitting machines

Apparatus for threading yarns through yarn transport tubes in a tube-type textile yarn creel provides a plurality of valve assemblies operatively communicated to a common source of pressurized air, each valve assembly being mounted to the creel at the entrance end of a respective yarn transport tube for selectively discharging pressurized air into and through the tube when desired to thread a yarn through the tube.

Yarn threading apparatus for tube-type textile yarn creels

An adjustable textile yarn creel of circular construction includes a plurality of yarn package supporting assemblies each of which has a frame on which a pair of yarn package supporting members are mountable in parallel at selectively variable spacings. The yarn package supporting assemblies are connected with one another in upright disposition in a circular arrangement by connector assemblies extending between laterally adjacent yarn package supporting assemblies. Yarn is withdrawn radially inwardly of the creel from the yarn packages and transported therefrom through respective guide tubes to an associated textile machine such as a circular knitting machine.

Textile Yarn Creel

A lint control apparatus particularly adapted for textile plants includes a cylindrical filter with filter media about its circumferential periphery, a coaxial fan for drawing ambient air from the workplace radially through the filter media into the filter housing, and an upstanding duct for directing the air exhaust upwardly at overhead surfaces to blow lint therefrom and limit further lint accumulation thereon. The apparatus is adapted to be freestanding on a floor surface of the work area, with an interior baffle within the filter housing effectively concentrating the ambient air draw along the floor surface. The upstanding duct may have a deflector member which is movable through a predetermined course to direct the discharged air over a predetermined overhead area.

Lint control apparatus

A tubular conduit for transporting a traveling texile yarn is formed of ordinary circular nylon tubing provided with a plurality of crimps formed at longitudinal spacings to provide interior projecting edge portions in the tubular conduit. The traveling yarn contacts the interior wall surface of the tubular conduit essentially only at the projecting edge portions to reduce frictional contact between the yarn and the tubular conduit to prevent yarn tension increases and yarn breakage.

Tubular conduit for transporting traveling textile yarn

A textile storage feeding device having a pair of spaced upper and lower strand storage drums coaxially mounted integrally with one another and with a driving pulley assembly for integral rotation for transiently storing a traveling textile strand windingly in sequence about the upper storage drum and then about the lower storage drum. A stop motion arm monitors the traveling strand intermediate the storage drums to detect upstream strand breakages, the stop motion arm being isolated from tension variations, flutterings and the like in the traveling strand to avoid 'false stops'. Another stop motion arm upstream of the storage drums monitors increases in the tension of the strand, without detecting strand breakages or other tension losses, to stop operation in response to excessive strand tension to prevent at least some strand breakages.

Strand storing and delivering device

A textile storage feeding device having a pair of spaced upper and lower strand storage drums coaxially mounted integrally with one another and with a driving pulley assembly for integral rotation for transiently storing a traveling textile strand windingly in sequence about the upper storage drum and then about the lower storage drum. A stop motion arm monitors the traveling strand intermediate the storage drums to detect upstream strand breakages, the stop motion arm being isolated from tension variations, flutterings and the like in the traveling strand to avoid 'false stops.'

A compact, self-contained device for direct mounting on a knitting or other textile machine for monitoring and displaying the machine's operating efficiency. A first digital LED continuously displays machine operating efficiency. During machine operation, a second digital LED displays the number of previous machine stoppages and, during machine stoppages, displays the elapsed time of the prevailing machine stoppage. Operating switches permit selective display on the second LED of either the total elapsed time of device operation which forms the time base for the efficiency value or the duration of the longest previous machine stoppage.

Growing community of inventors

Troy, NC, United States of America

Alan Gutschmit