EP1462554B1 - Method for making a three-dimensional textile article comprising at least one opening in one of its sides, and three-dimensional textile article made according to this method - Google Patents

Abstract

The textile article, such as a protective hood (1) with holes (6, 7, 8) for the wearer's eyes and mouth, is knitted on a straight machine with two sections for making the front and rear surfaces simultaneously. In each of the sections only one needle in two is used for actually knitting the stitches, while the others are used only in operations needed for making the eye and mouth holes. The lower edge (6', 7', 8') of each hole is made by a chain on a number of stitches that prevents the edge from unravelling. The sides (6, 7, 8) are made by knitting semi-circular stitches for a given number of rows, and the upper edges (6', 7', 8') are made by resuming full row knitting.

Description

The invention relates to a method for producing a three-dimensional textile article having at least one opening at its side-face. It also relates to three-dimensional textile articles obtained by this method.

Many textile articles, especially in the field of clothing, but also in more specific areas, such as that of the protection of persons, have one or more openings, clean, for example to allow to free a passage for the eyes , nose, mouth, etc.

For example, there are three-dimensional hoods, typically having three openings, two for the eyes and one for the mouth, which can be used as a fire protection under a helmet, used by firefighters or in the military field. .

This type of hood is primarily intended to protect the head, neck, and sometimes the upper part of the torso.

To date, this type of protective clothing exists, but is traditionally made by assembling the anterior face, provided with cut and hemmed openings, to a rear face, free of it openings. This assembly is most often done by sewing. Regardless of the aesthetic aspect, these seams have several disadvantages. DE-A-39 37 406 discloses a hood having an opening whose side edges, taken along the warp direction, are constituted in two halves and are joined by means of a knitted chain.

First and foremost, these seams generate stiffness, extra thickness, therefore irritation, sources of discomfort for the user, significantly affecting comfort. It should be remembered that, for a large number of applications, such clothes are worn very close to the body, or even intimately marrying the body, or the parts of the body that they are intended to protect.

Then, the seams are areas of least resistance, so that it is most often observed deterioration of the article in question from said seams, and creating so many areas of non-protection at this level.

The object of the invention is precisely to overcome these disadvantages. She proposes, to overcome them, to make a textile article three-dimensional, without any seam. If the three-dimensional textile articles already exist, or even for example the document FR-A-2 469 884, on the other hand the realization of lateral openings within them is not feasible automatically during the same step of manufacturing said article.

Thus, in the aforementioned document, a tubular structure is first made, then, in the next step, a cut is made, corresponding to the desired shape of the opening or openings to achieve. It is then necessary to take the edges of this or these openings, to avoid their demagnetization. In other words, the realization of such an article requires at least three successive operations, generating in addition to a loss of time, also a relatively high manufacturing cost, given the staff to implement.

The aim of the invention is precisely to overcome this multiplicity of steps, by proposing a method enabling the realization of the three-dimensional article in question to be realized simultaneously and automatically, and that of the opening or openings of which it is desired to provide.

• ◆ à constituer la lisière inférieure de l'ouverture, par tricotage d'une chaînette sur un nombre déterminé d'aiguilles de la fonture qui travaille, fonture avant pour la réalisation de la ou des ouvertures sur la face avant ou fonture arrière pour la réalisation de la ou des ouvertures sur la face arrière, ce nombre étant fonction de la largeur souhaitée de l'ouverture à réaliser, ladite chaînette étant destinée à rendre indétricotable cette zone ;
• ◆ puis, à vider lesdites aiguilles en nombre déterminé de leur maille ;
• ◆ puis, à constituer les bords latéraux de l'ouverture en réalisant un tricotage semi-circulaire alternatif des aiguilles de ladite fonture qui travaille, autres que celles en nombre déterminé au niveau desquelles la chaînette a été tricotée, la hauteur desdits bords étant directement proportionnelle au nombre de rangées ainsi tricotées ;
• ◆ à reporter les mailles impaires correspondantes de la fonture qui ne travaille pas au niveau dudit nombre déterminé, augmenté d'une unité, d'aiguilles paires vides de la fonture qui travaille, après déplacement ou chevalement de l'une desdites fontures ;
• ◆ à introduire en deux temps, pour améliorer le caractère tricotable de l'opération, un fil de séparation sur les aiguilles impaires vides correspondant audit nombre déterminé augmenté d'une unité, d'aiguilles de la fonture qui travaille;
• ◆ à ramener à leur place les mailles impaires reportées sur la fonture qui ne travaille pas, de sorte que lesdites mailles et leur entre-mailles soient passées autour dudit fil de séparation, assurant de la sorte une liaison temporaire par l'intermédiaire de ce fil de séparation de la face avant avec la face arrière en vue d'exercer une traction vers le bas sur les mailles avant en formation ;
• ◆ à transférer après déplacement ou chevalement de l'une des fontures une boucle sur deux dudit fil de séparation sur la fonture qui ne travaille pas,
• ◆ à tricoter ensuite sur ces mailles alternées avant-arrière dudit fil de séparation la rangée appelée réseau en côte 1 et 1 déjaugé de la lisière supérieure de l'ouverture ;
• ◆ à réaliser en jersey arrière puis avant à la suite des mailles de lisière pour la consolidation et l'amélioration esthétique du réseau ;
• ◆ à reporter les mailles arrières du réseau sur la fonture qui travaille, afin de revenir en jersey déjaugé ou en point mousse ou en côte 1 et 1, afin que la partie supérieure de l'ouverture soit de même structure que les parties latérales et inférieure;
• ◆ à extraire ledit fil de séparation afin de libérer l'ouverture de la face avant de la face arrière.

This method for producing a three-dimensional textile article, comprising at least one opening with contiguous edges at its lateral face, uses a knitting machine called "straight knitter", which comprises a front needle bed and a back needle bed. It consists in knitting permanently on the two needle beds, that is to say that one needle out of two in each needle really participates in the formation of the meshes, the other needles intervening only to carry out certain operations necessary for the realization of the opening or openings. These trumpeting needle beds include needles actuated by the passage of a carriage and selected by means of computer and electronic devices. Thus, it consists for the realization of the zones of the article presenting the opening or openings:

• ◆ to form the lower edge of the opening, by knitting a chain on a given number of needles of the bed that works, fonture before for the realization of the opening or openings on the front or back needle for the realization of the opening or openings on the rear face, this number being a function of the desired width of the opening to be made, said chain being intended to make this zone indivisible;
• ◆ then, to empty said needles in a predetermined number of their mesh;
• ◆ then, to constitute the lateral edges of the opening by performing a reciprocating semi-circular knitting needles of said bed that works, other than those in a predetermined number at which the chain was knitted, the height of said edges being directly proportional number of rows thus knitted;
• ◆ to postpone the corresponding odd stitches of the needle bed that does not work at said determined number, increased by one unit, of empty pairs of needles that work, after displacement or head of one of said needle beds;
• ◆ to introduce in two steps, to improve the knitting nature of the operation, a separation thread on the odd empty needles corresponding to said determined number increased by one unit, needles of the bed that works;
• ◆ to bring in their place the odd stitches carried on the bed that does not work, so that said stitches and their crotches are passed around said separating thread, thus ensuring a temporary connection via this thread separating the front face with the rear face in order to exert a downward pull on the front meshes in formation;
• ◆ to transfer, after displacement or headframe of one of the beds, every other loop of said separation thread on the non-working needle bed,
• ◆ then knitting on these alternate meshes fore and aft of said separation thread the row called network in ribs 1 and 1 of the upper edge of the aperture;
• ◆ to be made in rear jersey and then before the edge stitches for consolidation and aesthetic improvement of the network;
• ◆ postpone the back mesh of the network to the working needle bed, to come back in stockinette jersey or in garter stitch or in rib 1 and 1, so that the upper part of the opening is of the same structure as the side and bottom parts. ;
• ◆ extracting said separation wire in order to release the opening of the front face of the rear face.

In doing so, it becomes possible to obtain in a single operation a textile article, having one or more openings, whose edges are sharp in machine output, and free of any seam, which we could not do so far.

According to the invention, the shape of the lateral edges of the opening or openings may be rectilinear or curved, the embodiment of curved shape being then carried out by extensions of side meshes in both left and right directions.

In addition, in the context of the realization of a hood, a hat or an equivalent article, the top thereof is achieved by successive reports of stitches, the knitting ending on a single needle that final one démaille in order to recover said article.

The invention also relates to a three-dimensional textile article obtained by implementing this method comprising at least one opening at its side face. It is characterized in that it is free of any seam in the longitudinal direction as in the transverse direction, and in that the opening or openings are defined by sharp edges without break, also free of any sewing thread or recovery.
More specifically, it is characterized in that the lower edge of each of the openings has a knitted chain to make indétricotables meshes constituting the edge of said openings.

• La figure 1 est une représentation schématique vue de face d'une cagoule conforme à l'invention, munie de trois ouvertures sur sa face avant.
• La figure 2 est une représentation schématique selon les normes française G00-025/G00-29 d'un diagramme de fonctionnement des aiguilles d'une machine textile mise en oeuvre conformément au procédé de l'invention.

The manner in which the invention can be realized, and the advantages which result therefrom, will emerge more clearly from the following exemplary embodiment, given by way of indication and not by way of limitation, in support of the appended figures.

• Figure 1 is a schematic front view of a hood according to the invention, provided with three openings on its front face.
• FIG. 2 is a schematic representation according to the French standards G00-025 / G00-29 of a needle operation diagram of a textile machine implemented in accordance with the method of the invention.

The description which follows is more particularly directed towards the production of a hood provided with three openings, for protective purposes, particularly under a helmet. However, it is understood that this description is not restrictive, and that any three-dimensional textile article provided with openings with contiguous edges could be achieved by means of the device according to the present invention.

This hood (1) typically has three parts, respectively a lower part (2), intended to dress all or part of the neck and the upper part of the torso, and limited by a lower free edge (9) peelable, a central zone ( 3), comprising the face of the chin at the forehead, as well as the sides and the opposite rear part, and an upper part (4) corresponding substantially to the cranial box.

The realization of such a hood starts with the lower part (2), within a computer-controlled rectilinear two-needle needle-punching machine with multidirectional mesh transfer, according to a so-called integral or three-dimensional knitting technique. . Such a straight knitter is for example marketed by the company SHIMA SEIKI under the brand SWG FIRST 183 12 gauge.

All departures are identical and are managed automatically by the software built into the knitter.
However two methods make it possible to arrive at two different models.

According to a first embodiment of the invention, a tubular method is implemented. After a network start, in order to obtain a straight edge (9) ladder-proof, we knit continuously, either bindings base jersey, base side, or stitches returned. In the case of jersey binding, a particular structure (such as for example the garter stitch) is knitted in a few rows from the network to prevent the rolling phenomena of the knitwear when wearing.

According to a second embodiment of the invention, a non-tubular method is implemented. From the start of the model, the network is knitted with two wire guides so as to separate the front and back elements of the hood, thus materializing two diametrically opposed slots. This particular embodiment makes it possible to produce a product that fits the shoulders of the wearer better.

The continuation of operations is similar to the tubular method, namely continuous knitting and successively on the front and back needle beds, whether in stockinette, or in dimension 1 and 1, and use of decreases or increases to adapt the article with forms to dress.

The median zone (3) is provided with three openings (6, 7, 8) in the face, and intended to be positioned directly above the eyes and mouth, when the hood is worn. In the example described, each of the openings is of rectangular shape, respectively defined by a lower edge (6 ', 7', 8 '), two lateral edges (6 ", 7", 8 "), and an upper edge ( 6 "', 7"', 8 "').

It will now be described the particular method according to the invention, to achieve these openings. In order not to unnecessarily complicate the description, the realization of a single opening will be described, in connection with Figure 2. This illustrates as already said the operation of the needles of the straight knitter implementation.

First, for the constitution of the zones of the balaclava free over their entire opening periphery, the method according to the invention consists of knitting on the two needle beds. In other words, one needle out of two actually contributes to the realization of these areas. The other needles are used only for the realization of transition zones, and in particular during the constitution of the openings.

NF G00-025 / G00-29 has been illustrated in lines 1 and 2 of FIG. 2 at the end of the knitting on the two needle beds of the machine, of a tubular jersey of x width needles. Only the odd needles have been used, for example, on the back needle bed 1 and on the needle bed before line 2.

Then a certain number N of needles of the needle bed which is working, and in this case the front needle bed, (in the example described N = 8), corresponding to the desired width of the opening on the front face, we knit a chain. This chain is intended to connect together the meshes of the row of N needles, to make indivicotable this area of the row, and which therefore constitutes the selvedge or lower edge (6 ', 7', 8 ') of the opening in question.

The N needles are then emptied of their mesh, as it has been represented on the unnumbered line of FIG. 2. Thus, in this figure, the points representing the N needles which have just been emptied , the loops simulate the stitches waiting on the needles of the front needle bed and the tail bed of the tubular jersey of width x at the beginning of the product, and the vertical lines represent the needles of two non-used needle beds since one knits in the bar .

The lateral edges (6 ", 7", 8 ") of the opening in question are then formed by performing an alternating semicircular knitting of the needles of the said needle bed, other than the N needles. The height of said edges is directly proportional to the number of rows thus knitted (line 3 to 8).
In doing so, we obtain a tube open on one side.

If the opening has been shown in rectangular form, it is of course possible to make curved side edges, in one direction or the other, by lateral mesh reports in both directions.

• permettre le redémarrage sur aiguilles vides de la première rangée de mailles du bord supérieur de l'ouverture pour son accrochage sur la face arrière ;
• et, à l'issue du tricotage de l'article, permettre par son élimination la libération du bord supérieur de l'ouverture.

The following operations concern the realization of the selvedge or upper edge (6 ", 7", 8 ") of the opening The difficulty in knitting is to restart an article on an empty needle. perform this restart without using ancillary devices, such as attracting combs, turntables, etc. The edge thus formed is thus perfectly indémaillable and indétricotable.Therefore proceeds for the resumption of the network, the very first row of meshes of the upper edge of the opening, at the insertion of a separation wire, said separation wire fulfilling two functions:

• to allow the restart on empty needles of the first row of meshes of the upper edge of the opening for its attachment on the rear face;
• and, after the knitting of the article, allow by its elimination the release of the upper edge of the opening.

Thus (line 9 in Figure 2), the odd stitches of the back needle bed are transferred to the level of the N + 1 even needles of the front needle bed, by displacement or head of one of the said needle beds.

Then, in order to make the operation reliable, a separation thread is introduced in two steps on the odd empty needles corresponding to the N + 1 needles (line 10 and 11, FIG. 2).

This separation wire is for example polyamide.

The N + 1 odd stitches of the rear needle bed, previously reported, are returned to their place by a forward-to-back transfer, so that the said stitches are passed around the said separation thread. This ensures a connection of the needles of the front face having the separation wire in their beaks, with the stitches of the rear face. (lines 12 and 13 figure 2). In other words, this provides a temporary connection, via this separation wire, from the front face to the rear face. In doing so, it will be possible to ensure a pull down to make the empty needle on the first row of meshes or network of the upper edge of the opening.

This connection then makes it possible to restart the knitting on the N empty needles, thanks to the pulling and pulling down and the support that can be exercised on the future stitches before formation, through the stitches of the back side knitted simultaneously.

To do this, we transfer from the front needle bed on the back bed loop every two (line 14 Figure 2) of said separation wire, the remaining loops remaining on the front. This leads to an alternative forward / backward distribution loops of this thread, which allows to knit in the same configuration with the thread of the article, the actual network in dimension 1 and 1 (line 15 Figure 2), a mesh place (front) being followed by a back stitch.

The network is consolidated and made less deformable by making a back jersey on the back stitches of dimension 1 and 1 (line 15 figure 2) and a front jersey on the stitches (line 17 figure 2).

The back stitches of the network are then transferred to the front needle bed to return to stockinette st before laying out (line 18, figure 2). Insofar as one is in a predefined configuration, the knitting in dimension 1 and 1 is possible, but was not retained in the example described.

Then we return to knitting on the two needle beds of the machine a tubular jersey (lines 19 and 20 Figure 2).

At the end of the integral embodiment of the hood, the separation thread is extracted from the knitting manually or by treatment if the thread is soluble or fuse, to release the opening of the front face of the rear face.

This leads to a textile article in one piece without assembly seam, a hood in this case, three-dimensional, provided with one or more openings, and free of any seam and therefore extra thickness.

Taking into account also the possible multiplicity of materials constituting the knitting, this article may have various properties, including being fireproof. For example, para-aramid (registered trademark KERMEL) or even complex yarns with retarding effect on the flames are used.

It is also possible to improve the comfort of the textile article, incorporating a thread with elastic behavior either by vanisage or soul of another wire for better adaptability to the human body.

Depending on the choice of the nature of the yarn or knitting, the article may have thermal, electromagnetic, electrostatic, or bacteriostatic or water-repellent or high visibility protection properties for example.

It is therefore conceivable the interest of this process and the resulting product, given the properties mentioned above, but also because of its simplicity of manufacture, and the reduction of the steps necessary for its implementation .

Claims (4)

1. Method for producing a three-dimensional textile item (1) comprising at least one opening (6, 7, 8) with adjoining edges on its lateral side, the edges or selvages defining said opening(s) (6, 7, 8) being opposed two by two and respectively called side edges (6", 7" 8"), lower edge (6', 7', 8'), and top edge (6"', 7"', 8"'), using a knitting machine called a flat knitting machine with two beds, respectively front and back, characterized:

   • in that it consists of constant half-gauge knitting on the two beds; that is to say, that one needle in two in each bed is actually involved in the formation of the stitches; the other needles intervene only to perform certain operations necessary for the creation of the opening(s),

   • and in that, to produce the areas of the item with the opening(s), it consists of:

   - forming the lower selvage (6', 7', 8') of the opening (6, 7, 8), by knitting a chain over a set number N of needles of the working bed, this number depending on the width desired for the opening, said chain being designed to render this area ravel-proof;

   - then, emptying said N needles of their stitch;

   - then, forming the side edges (6", 7", 8") of the opening by making a piece of semi-circular alternate knitting on the needles of said working bed other than the N needles on which the chain was knitted, the height of said edges being directly proportional to the number of rows thus knitted;

   - transferring the corresponding, half pitch stitches of the nonworking bed onto the said N + 1 empty, full pitch needles of the working bed, after displacement or racking of one of said beds;

   - adding, in two stages, a separation yarn on the empty, half pitch needles corresponding to said set number N + 1 of needles of the working bed;

   - bringing the transferred, half pitch stitches back to their place over the nonworking bed, so that said stitches and their in-between-stitches are passed around said separation yam, thus providing a temporary connection between the front side and the back side, with said separation yam, with the goal of exerting traction towards the bottom over the front stitches, as the stitches are being formed;

   - transferring, after displacement or racking of one of the beds, every other loop of said separation yarn onto the nonworking bed;

   - then knitting over these alternate front-back stitches of said separation yam, to form the row of the top selvage (6"', 7"', 8"') of the opening, called the network, in half-gauge 1 and 1 rib;

   - then knitting the stitches of the selvage in reverse jersey, then front jersey, to consolidate and improve the aesthetics of the network;

   - transferring the back stitches of the network onto the working bed, to come back in half-gauge jersey, or in moss stitch, or in 1 and 1 rib;

   - removing said separation yarn to free the opening on the front side from the back side.
2. Method for producing a three-dimensional item as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the shape of the side edges (6", 7", 8") of the opening(s) is straight or curved, the creation of the curved shape being achieved by lateral stitch transfers in both directions.
3. Method for producing a three-dimensional item as claimed in claim 1 or 2, and specifically a hood, characterized in that the top of said item is made by successive stitch transfers, the knitting ending on a single needle, which, at the end, one unravels in order to retrieve said item.
4. Three-dimensional textile item (1) obtained using the method claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, comprising at least one opening (6, 7, 8) with adjoining edges on its lateral side, said opening(s) being defined by edges or selvages opposed two by two, respectively called side edges (6", 7", 8"), lower edge (6', 7', 8'), and top edge (6"', 7"', 8"'); characterized in that each of the one or more openings (6, 7, 8) has, on its lower edge (6', 7', 8'), a knitted chain designed to render ravel-proof the stitches constituting the lower selvage of said openings (6, 7, 8), in that each of the opening(s) (6, 7, 8) has a network of ravel-proof stitches on its top edge (6"', 7"', 8"'), and in that the side edges (6", 7", 8") of the opening(s) (6, 7, 8) are constituted of continuous rows of connected stitches, thus freeing said item from any sewing thread or yarn in the finish, in the longitudinal direction as well as in the transversal direction.

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