Classifications

• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
  • D04B—KNITTING
  • D04B9/00—Circular knitting machines with independently-movable needles
  • D04B9/42—Circular knitting machines with independently-movable needles specially adapted for producing goods of particular configuration
  • D04B9/46—Circular knitting machines with independently-movable needles specially adapted for producing goods of particular configuration stockings, or portions thereof
  • D04B9/56—Circular knitting machines with independently-movable needles specially adapted for producing goods of particular configuration stockings, or portions thereof heel or toe portions

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a knitting method and to a circular knitting machine for the production of stockings, socks or the like.
• the present invention relates to a method and a device for closing the toe of a knitted article formed on a knitting machine.
• an initial edge of a pouch is formed by the needles of a first arc of approximately a semicircle, and after the pouch has been formed said initial edge is transferred to the needles of the opposite arc and is picked up by said needles. This is followed by circular knitting.
• the present invention relates to an improvement aimed at obtaining greater regularity in the formation of the join of the initial edge to the needles of said opposite arc.
• the invention relates to a mechanism of this type for closing the toe by means of an arrangement that can also be used in the presence - on the machine - of the conventional hook disk or plate.
• the mechanism is of the type designed for transferring a knitted fabric formed by a portion of the needles to the opposite complementary portion of needles of the needle cylinder of a circular knitting machine, especially a hosiery knitting machine, for starting an article with the closure of its initial end, the machine comprising a throwing-over element of basically semicircular shape able to rotate about an axis extending approximately diametrically across the working area of the needles and equipped with a plurality of means for picking up the initial portion of the fabric.
• said throwing-over element is caused to rotate toward and into the cylinder, its pick-up elements being able to project radially and retract radially.
• Said throwing-over element can be fitted underneath the plate that lies above the needle cylinder.
• the mechanism may comprise, above the plate and rotating with it, a tubular structure with feet that engage with cams to bring about centrifugal and centripetal movements of said pick-up elements (hooks) for the transfer of the initial edge of the article.
• said pick-up means are formed by expansions - especially spherical or suchlike expansions, provided they are solids of revolution - on the outermost ends of lines running inside flexible sheaths and terminating with springs that guide the lines; the outermost turn of each of the springs can interact with the corresponding outermost expansion in order to hold the fabric and continue to grip it during its transfer in a centripetally retracted position.
• Each line may also comprise, in addition to the outermost expansion that can interact with the outermost turn of the spring, a smaller expansion that doe ⁇ not interfere with the turns of the spring and that can hold the fabric gripped by the pick-up means in order to keep it close to the pick-up element, that is, in order to ensure that it does not move along the wire.
• the mechanism may be equipped with hook elements by way of pick-up means, in which case the lines, which are made of metal and are elastically flexible, are so constructed that in the rest position they are bent; they therefore rotate about themselves as they move between the two positions adopted by the throwing-over element, in order to maintain a particular orientation so that said hooked pick-up elements do not let go of the fabric.
• pick-up means in which case the lines, which are made of metal and are elastically flexible, are so constructed that in the rest position they are bent; they therefore rotate about themselves as they move between the two positions adopted by the throwing-over element, in order to maintain a particular orientation so that said hooked pick-up elements do not let go of the fabric.
• Said structure po ⁇ itioned above the plate of the hooks may comprise an axial tubular passage through which there pass the sheaths of the wires, and also mechanical drive means for operating the throwing-over element.
• Figs 1 - 7 show in axial section a number of phases in one cycle of transfer with a mechanism according to the invention
• Fig. 8 shows an enlarged detail identified by the arrow VIII in Fig. 3;
• Fig. 9 shows schematically a throwing-over element in a view basically on IX-IX in Fig. 3, but with a number of different positions of the pick-up means;
• Fig. 10 shows an enlarged detail indicated by the arrow X in Fig. 1;
• Figs 11 - 14 show, in a number of phases, a modified form differing from the above example
• Fig. 15 shows an assembly for a pick-up element used with said modified form.
• the reference 1 denotes the needles ⁇ liding in the longitudinal trick ⁇ of a revolving needle cylinder (not illu ⁇ trated but of a purely conventional type) .
• the reference 3 denote ⁇ generally a hook di ⁇ k or plate, the hooks being labelled 5 and being of the radially mobile type, their arrangement and function ⁇ being perfectly familiar.
• the plate 3 i ⁇ mounted on a tubular element 7 which revolve ⁇ with the plate around the ⁇ ame axi ⁇ coinciding with the axi ⁇ of the needle cylinder, and which is turned by a conventional drive 9.
• the revolving unit comprising the plate 3 and tubular element 7 is another cylindrical element 12 that is axially hollow and comprises a memori ⁇ of longitudinal slide seat ⁇ 12A for feet 14, the purpose of which will be indicated later.
• the reference 16 denotes cams supported by the fixed frame of the machine and acting on the butts of the feet 14 in order to move them up and down and place them in certain positions in their slide seat ⁇ for the purpo ⁇ e ⁇ indicated below.
• the axial pa ⁇ age through the tubular element 7 and that through the cylindrical element 12 - which are coaxial - can be u ⁇ ed to accommodate element ⁇ belonging to the mechanism in question.
• a throwing-over element 18 whose basic shape is that of a semicircular arc and that is able to rotate about the axis X—X in the directions of the double arrow fx to reach the position shown in Fig ⁇ 1 - 3 on one side and the thrown-over position shown in Figs 4 - 7 and back again.
• a drive 20 is u ⁇ ed which may conveniently take the form of a series of small drive pinions 20 driven by a rack 22 and by a rod 24 that control ⁇ it and that i ⁇ driven via a collar 26 by an actuator 28.
• Control of the throwing over of the element 18 can also be provided by some other drive sy ⁇ tem, provided it is compact and leaves sufficient room for other function ⁇ in the pa ⁇ age running through the tubular element 7 and through the hollow cylindrical element 12.
• Metal wires 34 can move in ⁇ ide the flexible sheaths 30; each of the wires 34 projects radially from the end of the ⁇ heath attached to the element 18, and can move radially both centrifugally and centripetally.
• the individual metal wire ⁇ 34 are held (see also Fig.
• each wire 34 (see also and in particular Fig.
• expansions 40 and 42 comprise ⁇ an outermost expansion 40 which may be approximately spherical, and, a short distance from the latter, a smaller expansion 42, also approximately spherical; both expansions 40 and 42 can also have other, nonspherical profile ⁇ , provided these are solid ⁇ of revolution about the axi ⁇ of the wire.
• a spring 44 surrounds that part of each wire 34 that projects radially from the element 18. Said spring pushes against the member 18 and its outermost turn 40A can interact with the expansion 40, while the ⁇ maller expansion 42 can move in ⁇ ide the turn ⁇ of the spring 44.
• a fir ⁇ t row or first pair of rows of loops MB can be formed, being retained by the needles of arc B which remain inactive during the formation of the fabric that i ⁇ to form the initial clo ⁇ ure of the toe of the article, a ⁇ indicated in the International application ⁇ mentioned hereinbefore.
• the wires 34 are gradually withdrawn in the centripetal direction, as can be seen by comparing Fig. l, Figs 2 and 3 and Fig. 8.
• the fabric TP that is to form the toe is produced by a reciprocating action of the needle cylinder and by increases and decrease ⁇ in the length of ⁇ ucceeding rows, in much the same way as when forming pouches for heels or the like or when forming conventional toes, and also as indicated in at least some of the International applications mentioned above.
• the needles of the active arc A thus produce a pouch of fabric TP which hangs between the needle ⁇ of arc A and the end ⁇ of the wire ⁇ 34 which are retracted in the centripetal direction; in thi ⁇ way the initial row ⁇ of the fabric TP gripped by the expansion 40 are held fast by the pre ⁇ ure of the outermost turn 44A of the spring 44 around each wire 34, which spring 44 is more or les ⁇ gently compre ⁇ ed as the wire 34 i ⁇ retracted, that i ⁇ pulled back, centripetally, thereby shortening the amount of projection of the wire 34 beyond the point where the spring presse ⁇ again ⁇ t the throwing-over element 18.
• the needles of arc B are then lowered after drawing the yarn which is fed to them for the start of the tubular formation of the article.
• Some means is provided for raising the latch, for example a spring wire as indicated at 50, which acts on the latche ⁇ of the needle ⁇ of arc B to en ⁇ ure that they clo ⁇ e when the needle ⁇ move down and emerge from the initial fabric of the toe portion TP; the initial row ⁇ of thi ⁇ fabric TP are engaged by the yarn caught by the needles of arc B on their downward movement.
• the metal wires 34 are withdrawn centripetally and do not disturb the action of the needles of arc B.
• Fig. 11 - 15 only those parts of the components that are necessary to demonstrate the difference between thi ⁇ and the previou ⁇ embodiment are illustrated, with Fig. 10 also being reproduced at the top of Fig. 15.
• the same reference numerals as were used for the first example are used again for equivalent components in the modified embodiment depicted in Figs 11 - 15.
• the modification relates chiefly to the end of the metal wire 34, which comprises, instead of the two expansions 40 and 42, a hooked element 140. This is able to interact with the end turn 44A of the spring 44 in much the same way as envisaged with respect to the expansion 40.
• Fig. 11 which correspond ⁇ to the po ⁇ ition of Fig.
• the raising of the needles of arc A and the forming of the first rows with the yarn F with the needles selected one-to-one enables the first rows to be held in the hook 140.
• the wire 34 With the withdrawal of the wire 34, which can be seen by comparing the position of Fig. 11 with the position of Fig. 12 (which is an intermediate position along the path about the axi ⁇ X-X of the throwing-over element 18) , the initial portion TP1 of the toe clo ⁇ ure fabric TP remain ⁇ trapped between the hook 140 and the outermo ⁇ t turn 44A of the spring 44.
• the wire 34 is a spring metal wire which, in the rest position, has the shape shown in Fig.
• the hook 140 of each wire 34 reorientates itself automatically upward, thereby gripping the fabric of the edge TPl of the fabric TP even when the wire 34 is pushed by the control feet 14 centrifugally out beyond the arc B of needles opposite the arc A on which the fabric TP was formed.
• the hook 140 release ⁇ itself easily from the fabric, abandoning it completely to the needle ⁇ of arc B that have now pa ⁇ ed through it and then engage the outermo ⁇ t edge TPl of the fabric TP with the yarn Fl drawn by the rai ⁇ ed needles (see Fig. 14) ; and said outermost edge TPl is thus engaged between the loop formed with said yarn Fl and the first loops formed by the needles of arc B, as indicated at MB in Fig. 14.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Textile Engineering (AREA)
• Treatment Of Fiber Materials (AREA)
• Knitting Machines (AREA)
• Knitting Of Fabric (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=11351347

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Cited By (2)

Citations (3)

• 1995
  • 1995-07-14 IT IT95FI000165A patent/IT1278732B1/it active IP Right Grant
• 1996
  • 1996-07-02 TW TW085107972A patent/TW314558B/zh active
  • 1996-07-09 WO PCT/IT1996/000139 patent/WO1997004153A1/en active Application Filing
  • 1996-07-09 AU AU64684/96A patent/AU6468496A/en not_active Abandoned

Patent Citations (3)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events