Europaisches Patentamt (19) 3 European Patent Office Office europeen des brevets (11) EP 0 814 187 A2 (12) EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION (43) Date of publication: (51) |nt CI.6: D04B 15/68 29.12.1997 Bulletin 1997/52 (21) Application number: 97304333.4 (22) Date of filing: 19.06.1997 (84) Designated Contracting States: • lida, Yukiara AT BE CH DE DK ES Fl FR GB GR IE IT LI LU MC Kobe, Huogo 651-21 (JP) NL PT SE (74) Representative: Warren, Keith Stanley et al (30) Priority: 20.06.1996 JP 181338/96 BARON & WARREN 18 South End (71) Applicant: PRECISION FUKUHARA WORKS, LTD Kensington Kobe, Hyogo 658 (JP) London W8 5BU (GB) (72) Inventors: • Shibata, Takao Takatsuki, Osaka 569 (JP) (54) Circular knitting machine with jacquard pattern control mechanism for cylinder needles, sinkers or dial needles (57) The present invention provides a jacquard pat- mentality, selector jack, rocker base and rocker bar. tern control mechanism for a circular knitting machine Electromagnetic selection mechanisms (53,55,56) at- in which knitting instrumentalities (26) are selected in tract selected portions of the rocker bar (44) to deter- accordance with a jacquard pattern and are moved be- mine to which position the knitting instrumentality will be tween three positions, namely, welt, tuck and knit posi- moved. The selection mechanisms are more compact tions, by a selector jack (34), a rocker base (41 ) a rocker and have shorter strokes to permit selection of all types bar (44) pivotally mounted on the rocker base and con- of knitting instrumentalities and all three positions with- trol cams (32,38,48) for controlling the knitting instru- out reducing the number of yarn feeds. Printed by Jouve, 75001 PARIS (FR) 1 EP0 814 187 A2 2 Description netic attracting means is provided in corresponding re- lation to the attractable portions of the rocker. The rocker Field of the Invention base is moved as it engages with and disengages from the selector jack to shorten the stroke, making it possible The present invention relates to circular knitting ma- 5 to select the three positions of the knitting instrumental- chines and more particu larly to a jacquard control mech- ity. Control cams for controlling the knitting instrumen- anism for cylinder needles, sinkers or dial needles. tality, control cams for controlling the selector jack, and intermediate cams for the rocker base are all provided. Background of the Invention Additional cams are provided for controlling the rocker. 10 Circular knitting machines are of either the single Brief Description of the Drawings knit type or the double knit type. Single knit circular knit- ting machines typically include a rotating needle cylinder In order that the present invention may be more with knitting needles slidably mounted in grooves there- readily understood, reference will now be made to the in and a sinker cap with sinkers slidably mounted in is accompanying schematic drawings, in which: grooves therein mounted on top of the needle cylinder for rotation therewith. Double knit circular knitting ma- Figure 1 is a fragmentary, schematic view of a cam chines include a rotating needle cylinder and a rotating block and controlling cams of the jacquard control dial associated therewith. The needle cylinder has cyl- mechanism of the present invention; inder needles slidably mounted in vertical grooves 20 Figure 2 is a section taken substantially along line therein while the dial has dial needles slidably mounted 2-2 of Figure 1; in horizontal, radial grooves therein. Figure 3 is a fragmentary vertical section of a double In co-pending United States patent application Se- knit circular knitting machine incorporating the pat- rial No. 08/771 ,51 9, filed December 23, 1 996, assigned tern control mechanism of the present invention in- to the assignee of this application and which is incorpo- 25 stalled on the dial of the knitting machine; rated herein by reference, there is disclosed a jacquard Figure 4 is an enlarged, somewhat schematic view pattern control mechanism for a single knit circular knit- of the dial needle, selector jack, rocker base and ting machine for control of cylinder knitting needles and rocker of the jacquard pattern control mechanism sinkers. While such jacquard pattern control mechanism shown in Figure 3; constitutes a considerable advance over prior jacquard 30 Figures 5A through 5F, inclusive, are sectional pattern control mechanisms, it still has various limita- views taken substantially along lines 5A through 5F, tions and disadvantages. Among such limitations and inclusive, in Figure 1 ; disadvantages is an inability to be used to control dial Figure 5G is a sectional view similar to Figure 5F in needles because of the requirement that the control a different operational position; mechanism must be made smaller so that it will fit in the 35 Figure 5H is a sectional view similar to Figure 5E in space available toward the center of the dial. Also, dif- a different operational position; ficulty is frequently encountered with prior such pattern Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 1 of another em- control mechanisms in moving the knitting instrumental- bodiment of the jacquard pattern control mecha- ities to the welt, tuck and knit positions. nism and particularly a cam block and control cams 40 for a knitting needle; Summary of the Invention Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 4 of a knitting needle and associated pattern control instrumental- With the foregoing in mind, it is the object of the ities for use in the embodiment illustrated in Figure present invention to provide a jacquard pattern control 6; mechanism for controlling all types of knitting instrumen- 45 Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 6 of a further talities and for moving such instrumentalities between embodiment of the present invention; and all three positions thereof. Figure 9 is a view similar to Figure 7 of the knitting This object of the present invention is achieved by needle and pattern control mechanism of the em- a jacquard control mechanism for a circular knitting ma- bodiment illustrated in Figure 8. chine of the single knit type or double knit type in which 50 knitting instrumentalities are slidably movable in Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments grooves between welt, tuck and knit positions and in which a rocker base is installed in each groove with each Referring now more specifically to the drawings and knitting instrumentality. A selector jack is positioned in particularly to Figures 1-5H, there is illustrated schemat- each groove between the rocker base and the knitting 55 ically and sectionally the core part of a circular knitting instrumentality, and at least one rocker is mounted for machine, generally indicated at 20, which incorporates rocking movement on the rocker base and having at- the jacquard pattern control mechanism of the present tractable portions. At least one pair of attractors or mag- invention. Circular knitting machine 20 includes a rotary 2 3 EP0 814 187 A2 4 needle cylinder 21 having a multiplicity of grooves (not a central portion 43a and opposite end portions 43b and shown) therein. A knitting needle 22 is mounted for ver- 43c. The lower portion of medial section 43 is received tical sliding movement in each of the grooves in the nee- in the dial groove, and the central portion 43a has a re- dle cylinder 21 (Figure 3). cess or socket 43d in the upper portion thereof. Circular knitting machine 20 further includes a cam 5 A rocker bar 44 is mounted on the medial section block 23 mounted outside the needle cylinder 21 and 43 of rocker base 40 for pivotal movement by a circular mounts a needle cam 24 for raising and lowering the pivot protrusion 44a which is received in socket 43d. needles 22 between an active (knit) position and an in- Rocker bar 44 has symmetrical opposite end portions active (welt) position. Additional cams may be provided 44b and 44c which are beveled, wedge-shaped at their for moving needles 22 to a tuck position. 10 outer extremities at 44d and 44e. The lower portions of A rotary dial 25 is mounted on top of the needle cyl- opposite end portions 44b and 44c are bulbous-shaped inder 21 and has a multiplicity of grooves (not shown) and serve to engage the upper edges of end portions extending radially from the outer periphery to the inner 43b and 43c of medial section 43 of rocker base 40 to periphery thereof. A dial needle 26 is slidably mounted limit the pivotal movement of rocker bar 44. The upper in each of the grooves in dial 25 for movement between is sections 44f and 44g of end portions 44b and 44c are welt, tuck and knit positions. Dial needle 26 preferably magnetically attractable and are raised above the cen- has at least one butt 26a thereon and a semicircular in- tral portion of rocker bar 44. dentation 26b in the upper surface thereof from which Rocker base control cam 46 is carried by cam block the butt 26a extends (Figure 4). 30 adjacent selector jack raising cam 38. Cam 46 has A dial cam block 30 is mounted above the dial 25 20 a first side edge 46a which is spaced from side edges and mounts on its lower surface dial needle control 38a of cams 38 to define therewith a cam track T3 which cams, generally indicated at 31 , in facing relation to the receives and controls butt 42 on rocker base 40. grooves in dial 25. Dial needle control cams 31 include Rocker base control cam 46 has a second side edge outer guard cams 32 and stitch cams 33 which define a 46b which is positioned to engage wedge-shaped end cam track T-, for the butt 26a of dial needle 26.