Abstract: For supplying yarns, a yarn supply apparatus is contemplated that is designed particularly for knitting machines whose yarn demand fluctuates greatly over time. The yarn supply apparatus has a rotor-driven yarn wheel, which in the ideal case furnishes yarn directly to the knitting machine or its yarn guides without the interposition of yarn storage devices. The yarn tension is monitored by means of a yarn tension sensor, which provides measured value detection for a closed-loop controller that controls the supply by the yarn wheel. The controller is also embodied such that it can process signals that contain information about the future yarn demand. Thus in the event of imminent drastic changes in demand, of the kind that in flatbed knitting machines periodically occur at the edges of the knitted goods (turning points of the yarn guide), the controller can react by presupplying yarn or by ceasing to supply yarn. Yarn tension spikes and overly steep yarn tension drops can thus be compensated for.

Abstract: A plate-type thread brake includes two brake elements pressed resiliently against each other by a load device and receiving the thread passing through between them. These brake elements are eccentrically suspended on bearings on the inside wall of a central opening which only fill out a small part of the opening. Thread guides are also arranged in the region of this central opening.

Abstract: A thread brake with two disc shaped or plate shaped brake elements resiliently pressed against each other operates with an associated oscillation generating device to set the brake elements in oscillatory motions which are preferably oriented transversely to the bearing axis of the brake elements.

Abstract: A yarn storage and supply apparatus, in particular for textile machines, has a storage drum (4) in the manner of a cage with rods having a number of elongated yarn support elements located at identical radial intervals from the drum shaft (2) and distributed uniformly in the circumferential direction. Each of the yarn support elements, extending substantially in the drum shaft direction and secured to a drum body (13, 14, 15), is in the form of a narrow yoke (16), which on the yarn delivery side has a radially inwardly tapering region (17), acting as a run-on incline for the oncoming yarn (8), and adjoining it a substantially straight region (19), forming a yarn support region for a plurality of loops of yarn windings (20), the straight region being followed by a radially protruding circular, continuous yarn run-off rim (12).

Abstract: A yarn supply apparatus for textile machines has a yarn drum (5) carrying a storage winding (10), to which drum the yarn (8) can be supplied at a tangent via a supply guide element, and from which drum the yarn can be drawn off, extending toward the outside, at a run-off speed corresponding to the yarn supply speed, via a run-off guide element (11) located laterally beside the yarn drum (5). In order to assure constantly satisfactory supply conditions even when a yarn drum (5) that effects the advancement of the storage winding solely via the particular shaping of its circumferential surface is used, the supply guide element is in the form of a bowed element (20) having an elongated yarn opening (22), this opening being located with its lengthwise extension transverse with respect to the yarn travel direction and having its lower edge, that is, the edge nearer the yarn drum, located below the upper rim of the yarn drum (5).

Abstract: To permit pull-off of elastomeric yarn from a spool, without subjecting the yarn to tension, the spool (6) with the yarn (17) wound thereon is placed on a pair of horizontally extending support-and-drive rollers (3) which are driven at pull-off speed by a belt drive (7, 8, 10) from the textile machine via a right-angled drive (FIG. 3) from a drive pulley (11). The drive is reversible. The yarn is fed by frictional engagement of the yarn portion being pulled off the spool with a portion of the circumference of the driven support-and-drive rollers (3) and, if the weight of the spool is not sufficient to provide for suitable frictional engagement, the surfaces of the rollers can have knurling or a rubber coating thereon; they may be spring-loaded or weighted. Additional drive can be obtained by looping an endless belt (24) about the rollers, and seating the spool (6) in a concave depression formed by the belt as the spool is positioned between the support-and-drive rollers.

Abstract: To permit, selectively, use of multistrand monofilamentary thread or yarn, or twisted fiber thread or yarn with the same thread supply drum, the pull-off direction is changeably arranged by supporting a take-off thread guide eye (11, 11a) with respect to the axis of rotation (1') of the drum such that the orientation of the eye is either radial (FIG. 2: I; FIG. 3) or essentially tangential (FIG. 2: II, III; FIG. 4) or intermediate thereof; in the radial direction, individual strands which might be torn or broken are carried along by the running thread; in the tangential direction (FIG. 4), loose ends of fibers of fibrous yarn will not entangle other loops on the storage winding (22) of the drum. The take-off guide eye (11, 11a) either is secured to a pivotable U-shaped holding bracket 8 (FIG. 1) or can be slidable in a guide track 31 (FIGS. 5, 6).

Abstract: To prevent kinks or twists formed upon uncontrolled removal of yarn from a storage drum from interfering with yarn withdrawal from the storage drum, an intermediate yarn guide element 20 is located between the lower edge 18 of the storage drum and the pull-off guide eye and is formed with at least one yarn guide edge located laterally with respect to the axis of rotation 24 of the drum 1 and in the path of the yarn from the storage winding to the removal guide eye. The yarn guide edge is extended to terminate into an elongated narrow guide slot 23 extending from the guide edge inwardly towards the axis of rotation of the drum. The intermediate yarn guide element is provided with a loop or kink deflecting element and comprises a re-entrant structure extending approximately parallel to and below the yarn guide element 20.

Abstract: To permit, selectively, positive feed or demand feed of yarn or thread to a utilization position of a textile machine, a rotating drum has a storage winding place thereon. A thread guide element is located laterally next to but below lower edge structure of the thread supply drum to permit drawing-off of yarn on the positive feed condition and preventing reverse winding of thread or yarn on the drum; additionally, a pull-off element is located either fixed, or rotatably about the axis of rotation of the drum in a plane which includes the axis of rotation of the drum below the bottom edge structure so that the thread or yarn can be selectively guided in a path inclined downwardly inclined exteriorally through the thread guide element 19 over the edge of the thread supply drum on in a different thread path over the pull-off element and then through the thread guide element.

Abstract: A freely rotatable yarn feeding drum has a plurality of yarn loops wound thereon to form a storage winding. To both drive the drum and axially sheave the yarn forming the storage windings along the length of the drum, a drive wheel, or drive belt is engaged with the circumference of the drum in the region of the storage windings. The drive means thereby directly engages the yarn and the drum and, preferably, the axis of rotation of the drum is so set that it forms an acute angle with the axis of rotation of the drive means to provide an axial frictional component between the drive means, typically a drive belt, and the windings on the drum so that the windings are fed axially.

Abstract: To prevent formation of kinks or twists upon uncontrolled removal of yarn from a storage drum, an intermediate yarn guide element 20 is located between the lower edge 18 of the storage drum and the pull-off guide eye, the intermediate yarn guide element 20 being formed with at least one yarn guide edge located laterally with respect to the axis of rotation 24 of the drum 1 and in the path of the yarn from the storage winding to the removal guide eye. The yarn guide edge is extended to terminate into an elongated narrow guide slot 23 formed in the intermediate yarn guide element, the slot extending from the guide edge inwardly towards the axis of rotation of the drum.

Abstract: To permit ready reversal of rotation of a yarn supply drum, and to positively guide yarn being drawn off the drum, a thread guide element in form of a finger is located laterally offset with respect to the axis of rotation of the storage drum, extending essentially in a direction transverse to a tangential plane at the pull-off point of the yarn, the lateral offset being changeable to either side of the pull-off point to accomodate different directions of rotation of the drum, with simple change-over of the yarn guide finger, for example by re-positioning a mounting plate to extend either towards the left or the right from a support arm.

Abstract: A rotatable storage drum is connected for rotation to have yarn wound thereon. The pull-off position of the yarn is controlled by a yarn guide element which is a pin extending into the path of the yarn and forming an acute angle with a plane parallel to the axis of rotation of the drum. The pin is located on a rotatable disk so that the point of the acute angle can face either forwardly or rearwardly of the drum, so that the thread guide element can guide the yarn regardless of the direction of rotation of the drum and without tangling of the yarn if the guide element is set incorrectly with respect to the direction of rotation thereof; the element can also be set in an intermediate position in which it is ineffective with respect to the pull-off position, so that the drum can be used as a demand-storage supply drum, rotatable in either direction without structural modification of the overall apparatus.

Abstract: To maintain the windings or wraps of yarn on a supply drum formed of spaced rods, corrugations or the like, in a predetermined axial region thereof and to move the yarn axially along the drum, a pin-wheel gear or stub-tooth gear is arranged laterally of the drum, with the pins or stub teeth at an angle with respect to the axis of rotation of the drum, the pins or stubs being moved by engagement with the rods or corrugations of the drum as the drum rotates when driven to store yarn, the inclination of the pin-wheel gear providing an axially directed pushing force against the windings accumulating on the drum.