EP2112260B1 - Circular knitting machine with a rotatable installed dial - Google Patents

Abstract

The circular knitting machine has a frame, a rotatable ribbed disk (16), and a rib lock carrier (8) mounted in the frame, on which a rib lock (18) is fastened. A ribbed disk shaft (11) is rotatably and coaxially supported in the rib lock carrier for driving the ribbed disk. The ribbed disk is rotatably and coaxially supported on the rib lock carrier by a bearing (26) with adjustable bearing play. The ribbed disk is coaxially connected with the ribbed disk shaft by a spring steel sheet (20).

Description

The invention relates to a circular knitting machine of the type specified in the preamble of claim 1.

Circular knitting machines of this type are known in numerous variants (eg. EP 0 436 313 B1 . DE 195 11 949 A1 . PCT WO 02/053817 A1 ). They are usually designed as Rundränderknittnmaschinen, which also have a rotatably mounted needle cylinder in addition to a rotatably mounted dial. For rotatable mounting of the dial the frame is provided with a stationary arranged Rippschlossträger in which a Rippscheibenwelle is rotatably mounted, which serves to drive the dial and z. B. is connected by means of a rigid support ring with the dial. On Rippschlossträger a Rippschlossteile exhibiting Rippschloss is attached, which serves to control the movements of the dial radially slidably mounted Rippnadeln. In addition, the ripple lock may comprise pattern devices for selectively selecting the ripple needles by the 2-way technique (knitting, not knitting) or the 3-way technique (knitting, catching, not knitting).

A critical size of such machines is a distance between the undersides of the Rippschlossteile and the upper edges of Rippscheibenstege measured below as a gap, parallel to the common axis of rotation of dial and needle cylinder measured distance. In particular, if the rib needles are selected by means of electromagnets for knitting or catching, even small changes in this gap dimension can lead to an erroneous selection of the Rippnadeln. It has been found that a reason for undesirable changes in the gap dimension in the bearing of the Rippscheibenwelle in Rippschlossträger is seen. The Rippscheibenwelle is usually od with the help of deep groove ball bearings. Like. Mounted in Rippschlossträger that are available on the market only with an unavoidable axial bearing clearance. As a result, fluctuations in the gap dimension which are not tolerable, in particular in the case of large dial diameters and fine pitches and under the influence of temperature fluctuations during operation of the circular knitting machine, frequently occur μm range, but can still lead to an error-free electromagnetic selection of Rippnadeln is not possible.

Based on this, the technical problem of the invention is the circular knitting machine of the type described initially in such a way that despite the described storage of Rippscheibenwelle a safe, especially electromagnetic selection of Rippnadeln is possible.

This problem is solved according to the invention with the characterizing features of claim 1.

The invention has the advantage that the dial is supported by means of a bearing acting as a fixed bearing, adjustable to a preselected bearing clearance bearing directly on Rippschlossträger. This ensures a nearly constant gap. In addition, since the transmission of the rotational movement of the Rippscheibenwelle takes place on the dial by means of a spring plate, slight axial displacements of the Rippscheibenwelle be compensated, without thereby affecting the axial position of the dial and thus the desired gap size.

• Fig. 1 schematisch die zum Verständnis der Erfindung wichtigen Teile einer Rundstrickmaschine, die mit einer Rippscheibe versehen ist;
• Fig. 2 eine Einzelheit der Rundstrickmaschine nach Fig. 1;
• Fig. 3 in einer gegenüber Fig. 1 vereinfachten Darstellung ein Ausführungsbeispiel der Erfindung; und
• Fig. 4 eine vergrößerte Einzelheit der Fig. 3 im Bereich eines Lagers.

Further advantageous features of the invention will become apparent from the dependent claims. The invention will be explained in more detail below in connection with the accompanying drawings of an embodiment. Show it:

• Fig. 1 schematically the parts of a circular knitting machine which are important for understanding the invention and which are provided with a dial;
• Fig. 2 a detail of the circular knitting machine Fig. 1 ;
• Fig. 3 in one opposite Fig. 1 simplified representation of an embodiment of the invention; and
• Fig. 4 an enlarged detail of Fig. 3 in the area of a warehouse.

Fig. 1 shows a conventional circular knitting machine with a frame 1, of which in Fig. 1 only one vertical support column is shown. In the frame 1, a stationary, lower support ring, not shown, is mounted, in which a needle cylinder 2 is rotatably mounted about a rotation axis 3 and can be rotated in revolutions with a conventional drive motor. In the needle cylinder 2 usual knitting needles 4 are mounted axially displaceable, which are moved by a cylinder lock 5 in a conventional manner.

In an upper part of the circular knitting machine, the support pillars of the frame 1 are connected by an upper supporting rim 6 which has a bearing sleeve 7 which is coaxial with the axis of rotation 3 and in which a hollow cylindrical part 8a of a stationary rib lock carrier 8 is arranged. The part 8a has at an upper end on an outer threaded portion which is screwed into an internally threaded portion of an axially non-displaceable, but rotatably mounted in the support ring 6 Einstellrades 9. By turning the dial 9, the part 8a and thus the entire rib lock carrier 8 can be adjusted in a conventional manner parallel to the axis of rotation 3.

In the hollow cylindrical part 8a of the ribbed support 8 is by means of bearings 10, the z. B. consist of deep groove ball bearings, a Rippscheibenwelle 11 rotatably mounted. This is arranged coaxially to the axis of rotation 3 and fixedly connected to an upper, protruding from the part 8a end with a drive gear 12. The drive gear 12 is engaged with a drive pinion 14 which is seated on a drive shaft projecting through one of the support columns, on which a drive pinion for the needle cylinder 2 is also normally mounted to synchronously drive the dial shaft 11 and the needle cylinder 2.

At a lower, protruding from the part 8a end of the Rippscheibenwelle 11 a radially inner portion of a Rippscheibentragrings 15 is fixed, which is fixedly connected to a radially outer portion in the usual manner with a dial 16 or made with this one piece. In the dial 16 are usual Rippnadeln 17 mounted radially displaceable. For the radial movement of the Rippnadeln 17 is a Rippschloss 18, which is mounted on a below the bearing sleeve 7 and radially to the part 8a extending support flange 8b of the Rippschlossträgers 8 is attached.

In particular Fig. 2 shows, 18 conventional lock parts 19 are attached to the underside of the Rippschlosses, by means of which the movements of the Rippnadeln 17 are controlled. If a pattern-appropriate selection of the Rippnadeln 17 desired, the Rippschloss 18 is also provided with selection means not shown, for example, have electromagnets to perform an electromagnetic selection of the Rippnadeln 17 can.

For an error-free selection of the Rippnadeln 17, it is desirable during operation of the circular knitting machine a gap a ( Fig. 2 ) as constant as possible, which is defined between the upper edges of Rippscheibenstegen 16 a, between which the Rippnadeln 17 are mounted, and the lower sides of the cam parts 19. Even slight deviations of the gap dimension a from a preselected value, which lie in the μm range, can result in a reliable selection of the rib needles 17 being no longer possible. Such deviations can z. B. caused by an inevitable axial play in the bearings 10.

Circular knitting machines of the type described are well known to those skilled in the art, so that it is possible to dispense with the explanation of further details.

An inventive embodiment of the circular knitting machine is in Fig. 3 and 4 represented in which like parts with the same reference numerals as in Fig. 1 and 2 are provided. In contrast to Fig. 1 and 2 is the dial 16 not start here formed on the Rippscheibenträger 15 or connected to this, but via a z. B. annular spring plate 20 is coupled to a fixedly connected to the Rippscheibenwelle 11 support ring 21. Between the spring plate 20 and the dial 16, a retaining ring 22 is preferably still arranged by means of screws 23 firmly the dial 16 and fixed by means of further screws 24 fixed to the spring plate 20.

According to Fig. 4 is formed on an inner side of the support flange 8b and a cylindrical projection of this a substantially U-shaped, about the rotation axis 3 encircling bearing groove 25a, in which a first part of a bearing 26 is arranged. The other part of this bearing 26 is arranged in further bearing grooves or recesses 25b and 25c, which are formed in an upper end portion of the retaining ring 22 and in the underside of a rotation axis 3 coaxially surrounding bearing ring 27. The bearing ring 27 is fastened by means of the screws 24 to an upper side of the retaining ring 22.

The bearing 26 is inventively designed so that its axial, ie parallel to the axis of rotation 3 existing bearing clearance can be adjusted and therefore on the one hand produce a sufficiently small axial clearance to keep fluctuations of the gap a as small as possible, but on the other hand, a sufficiently smooth rotation the bearing ring 27 and thus of the retaining ring 22 and the worn by this dial 16 relative to the rib lock carrier 8 is possible.

The bearing 26 is preferably formed as a ball bearing having a number of bearing balls 28 which roll on bearing surfaces formed by the bearing grooves 25a, 25b and 25c. With very particular advantage as a bearing 26, a wire ring ball bearing is used, the z. B. four in the bearing grooves 25a, 25b and 25c and arranged in pairs opposite wire rings, on which the bearing surfaces are formed, on which the bearing balls 28 roll- The bearing balls 28 have expediently a diameter which is greater than the distance of the bearing surfaces 25b and 25c of each other, when the retaining ring 22 and the bearing ring 27 abut each other, so that the clearance between these bearing surfaces 25b, 25c and the distance between the wire rings can be adjusted in the manner described by means of parallel to the axis of rotation 3 acting screws 24. In other words, it is only necessary, the retaining ring 22 and the bearing ring 27 via the bearing 26 relative to brace each other.

An advantage of this measure is that the bearing clearance can be set so tight that the gap a remains practically unchanged during operation of the circular knitting machine and problems in the selection of Rippnadeln 17 can be avoided.

To compensate for any axial fluctuations that could occur through the bearings 10, any temperature expansions or upsets and other influences, the spring plate 20 is used according to the invention. This is sufficiently rigid in the radial direction, as a transformer of rotational movements of the Rippscheibenwelle 11 on the dial 16 to be able to work. In the axial direction, however, the spring plate 20 can be deformed elastically at least by a few microns, so that any axial displacements of the Rippscheibenwelle 11 does not affect the axial position of the dial 16 and the gap a . In addition, due to the elasticity of the spring plate 20, the dial plate 16 can easily follow any axial displacements of the rib pad carrier 8. The term "spring plate" is used as a representative of all conceivable variants that, regardless of whether they are designed as circumferential rings, individual segments or otherwise, allow the described function.

The invention is not limited to the described embodiment, which could be modified in many ways. In particular, other than the described, also a play-free seat enabling bearing 26 may be provided. Further, it would be conceivable to manufacture the retaining ring 22 and the dial 16 in one piece. For exact adjustment of the bearing clearance, it is also possible to insert spacers between the retaining ring 22 and the bearing ring 27. Further, other means may be provided instead of the spring plate 20 to allow axial variations and adjustments of the dial 16. For example, it would be possible to connect the retaining ring 22 axially adjustable with the support ring 21. Furthermore, it is clear that the Rippscheibenträger 8 together with the Rippenscheibe 16 axially means the Einstellrades 9 can be adjusted, as it is desirable in the presence of a needle cylinder 2 to adjust the mesh size, ie the rib lock carrier 8 is stationary, but axially adjustable stored in the machine frame. Apart from that, it is basically immaterial for the purposes of the invention, whether it is a circular knitting machine with or without needle cylinder. Finally, it is understood that the various features may be applied in combinations other than those described and illustrated.

Claims (7)

1. Circular knitting machine having a frame (1), a rotatably mounted dial (16), a cam carrier (8) which is mounted in the frame (1) and to which a cam (18) can be attached, and a dial shaft (11) which is mounted rotatably and coaxially in the cam carrier (8) and is intended for driving the dial (16), characterised in that the dial (16) is mounted, by means of a bearing (26) with adjustable bearing clearance, rotatably and coaxially on the cam carrier (8).
2. Circular knitting machine according to claim 1, characterised in that the dial (16) is connected coaxially to the dial shaft (11) by means of a spring steel sheet (20).
3. Circular knitting machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the bearing (26) comprises a multiplicity of bearing balls (28) which roll, on the one hand, on bearing surfaces (25a) of the cam carrier (8) and, on the other hand, on mutually assigned bearing surfaces (25b, 25c) of a retaining ring (22) which is provided on the dial (16) and of a bearing ring (27) which is connected to said retaining ring.
4. Circular knitting machine according to claim 3, characterised in that the bearing clearance can be adjusted by means of a screw connection (24) between the retaining ring (22) and the bearing ring (27).
5. Circular knitting machine according to claim 3 or 4, characterised in that the dial (16) is connected detachably to the retaining ring (22).
6. Circular knitting machine according to one of the claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the bearing (26) is a wire ring ball bearing.
7. Circular knitting machine according to claim 6, characterised in that the bearing surfaces (25a, 25b, 25c) are configured on wire rings which are disposed in pairs and situated opposite each other on the cam carrier (8), on the retaining ring (22) and on the bearing ring (27).

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