WO2008028576A1 - Device for reversing tubular articles, for circular knitting machines - Google Patents

Device for reversing tubular articles, for circular knitting machines Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2008028576A1
WO2008028576A1 PCT/EP2007/007485 EP2007007485W WO2008028576A1 WO 2008028576 A1 WO2008028576 A1 WO 2008028576A1 EP 2007007485 W EP2007007485 W EP 2007007485W WO 2008028576 A1 WO2008028576 A1 WO 2008028576A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
reversing tube
article
dial
reversing
tube
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/EP2007/007485
Other languages
French (fr)
Other versions
WO2008028576A8 (en
Inventor
Tiberio Lonati
Fausto Lonati
Ettore Lonati
Original Assignee
Sangiacomo S.P.A.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Sangiacomo S.P.A. filed Critical Sangiacomo S.P.A.
Publication of WO2008028576A1 publication Critical patent/WO2008028576A1/en
Publication of WO2008028576A8 publication Critical patent/WO2008028576A8/en

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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
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
    • D04B—KNITTING
    • D04B15/00—Details of, or auxiliary devices incorporated in, weft knitting machines, restricted to machines of this kind
    • D04B15/88—Take-up or draw-off devices for knitting products
    • D04B15/92—Take-up or draw-off devices for knitting products pneumatic
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
    • D04B—KNITTING
    • D04B9/00—Circular knitting machines with independently-movable needles
    • D04B9/40—Circular knitting machines with independently-movable needles with provision for transfer of knitted goods from one machine to another

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a device for reversing tubular articles, particularly for circular knitting machines provided with a station for closing an axial end of the tubular article.
  • Circular machines particularly hosiery knitting machines, are known which are equipped with an apparatus which allows to close, by linking or sewing, an axial end of the article at the end of its production on the machine.
  • the apparatus that closes an axial end of the articles is integrated in the machine that manufactures the articles, and the closure of an axial end of the articles is performed directly on the machine, interrupting the production of articles during the operation for closing the axial end of an article.
  • the apparatus that closes an axial end of the articles is arranged in a sewing or linking station which is separate from the machine for producing the articles and is generally arranged laterally with respect to the production machine.
  • the article, at the end of its production is removed mechanically from the manufacturing machine and is transferred, after being positioned appropriately, into the sewing or Unking station, in which there are mechanical elements which prepare the axial end of the article and close it by means of a sewing or linking head.
  • This second type of machines unquestionably has the advantage of not interrupting production activity except for a limited time required to remove the article from the machine.
  • the sewing or linking for closing the axial end of the article must be performed on the reverse side of the article, which, as is known, in single-cylinder circular machines is formed right way out.
  • the sewing or linking station there is generally a reversing device which turns the article inside out before sewing or linking an axial end thereof and then turns the article right way out again at the end of the sewing or linking.
  • An apparatus for sewing or linking an axial end of a tubular article manufactured by means of a single-cylinder circular machine and capable of sewing or linking on the reverse side of the article is disclosed for example in US Patent 7,107,797 and in WO 2004/035894.
  • Such an apparatus substantially comprises a dial provided with a plurality of points directed with their tip downwardly and are arranged along a cylindrical surface which matches the arrangement of the needles of a circular knitting machine for hosiery to be served.
  • This dial is arranged so that its axis is vertical and is supported by means of an arm which can move on command so as to place the dial above and coaxially with respect to the needle cylinder of the machine, placing each point above a needle of the machine.
  • the last row of knitting formed is held on the needles that produced it and is then transferred, loop by loop, from a needle to the corresponding point of the dial, which is also provided with means which are capable of retaining the loops of knitting of the article on the points during the transfer of the article from the manufacturing machine to the sewing or linking station.
  • a reversing device which is composed substantially of a reversing tube, which has a vertical axis and can move on command along its own axis so that it is inserted, starting from its upper end, through the dial so as to reverse the article on its outer lateral surface, as will become better apparent hereinafter.
  • the dial is composed of two half-dials, one of which can be turned over below the other half-dial about a diametrical axis of the dial so as to make the end of its points face below the end of the points of the half-dial that has not been turned over.
  • an apparatus of this kind works by taking, by means of the dial, the article right way out from the machine that produced it, keeping it hanging at its axial end to be closed and moving the dial to a coaxial position above the upper end of the reversing tube in a lowered position.
  • the reversing tube is then raised so that its upper end passes through the dial so as to progressively cause the eversion of the tubular article on the outer lateral surface of the reversing tube starting from its upper end. In this manner, the article is inside out and is arranged above the dial. Once the eversion of the article on the lateral surface of the reversing tube has been completed, the upper end of the reversing tube is engaged and the reversing tube is raised further so as to bring its lower end to a slightly higher level than the points of the dial.
  • the overturning half-dial of the dial is then turned over about the diametrical axis with respect to the half-dial that cannot be turned over, so as to make each one of its points face from below a corresponding point of the half-dial that has not been overturned, and the loops of knitting carried by the points of the overturned half-dial are transferred to the points of the half-dial that is not overturned, said points thus carrying two loops of knitting each.
  • the overturning half-dial is returned to the position in which it is coplanar with respect to the half-dial that has not been overturned, and each pair of loops of knitting is passed from one point of the half-dial of the dial that is not overturned to the point of another half- dial which faces from below the half-dial of the dial that is not overturned.
  • a sewing or linking head cooperates with the points of this other half-dial, which has received a pair of loops of knitting on each of its points, and sews or links the pairs of loops of knitting supported by each point so as to close the axial end of the article.
  • the rod when the rod is inserted through the lower end of the reversing tube to introflect the article inside the reversing tube, the article, due to the limited adhesion of the article to the outer lateral surface of the reversing tube, can be entrained suddenly within the reversing tube and then removed from the sewing or linking station without being completely reversed in order to be returned to the right-way-out configuration.
  • the aim of the present invention is to solve the problem described above by providing a device for reversing tubular articles particularly for circular knitting machines provided with a station for closing an axial end of the tubular article which ensures correct reversing of the articles even when they have a particularly limited length.
  • an object of the invention is to provide a device wnich has precise and reliable operation.
  • Another object of the invention is to provide a device which can be manufactured at competitive costs.
  • a device for reversing tubular articles particularly for circular knitting machines provided with a station for closing an axial end of the tubular article, comprising a reversing tube which has a substantially vertical axis and can move on command along its own axis from at least one lowered position, in which it is arranged, with its upper end, below a dial which has a substantially vertical axis and is adapted to retain the tubular article so that it hangs from said dial with a first axial end thereof, to at least one raised position, in which it passes through said dial and is arranged so that its upper end lies above said dial in order to evert the tubular article onto the outer lateral surface of the reversing tube, and vice versa; expulsion means being provided which act on the article for its introflection inside said reversing tube, inserting said first axial end of the article, disengaged from said dial, in the lower end of the reversing tube, characterized in that
  • Figure 1 is a schematic sectional view of the lower part of the reversing device, taken along a plane which passes through the axis of the reversing tube;
  • Figure 2 is a schematic view of the upper part of the reversing device, shown in cross-section in a manner similar to Figure 1 ;
  • Figures 3 to 11 illustrate the operating sequence of the reversing device, shown schematically in a front elevation view;
  • Figure 12 is an enlarged-scale view of a detail of Figure 11;
  • Figure 13 is a perspective view of a detail of the device according to the invention related to the braking means
  • Figure 14 is a top plan view of the detail of Figure 13;
  • Figure 15 is a sectional view of Figure 14, taken along the plane XV- XV.
  • the device according to the invention is designed to be positioned generally at a processing station in which it is necessary to perform a first reversal of a tubular article 60 to allow the execution of particular knitting with the article inside out and then a second reversal to make the article 60 available right way out again or vice versa.
  • a requirement of this kind is observed for example in closing an axial end of a tubular article, particularly the toe of a sock, if this closing operation is performed by sewing or linking on the reverse side of the article by transferring the article, produced with a circular knitting machine for hosiery, from the production machine to a sewing or linking station which is arranged laterally or otherwise in the vicinity of the production machine by means of a dial 50 which is capable of supporting the article 60 so that it hangs from the dial 50 by means of its axial end to be closed.
  • the reversing device according to the invention is conceived to equip an apparatus of the type disclosed in US Patent 7,107,797 and in WO 2004/035894.
  • An apparatus of this kind has an arm 51 which is supported by a supporting structure so that it can rotate about a vertical rotation axis which is spaced laterally with respect to the machine for producing the articles 60 and supports the dial 50 in a region which is spaced from the rotation axis.
  • the dial 50 is composed of two half-dials 52a, 52b, which lie mutually side by side along a diametrical plane of the dial 50 and are provided in a downward region with points 53 which have tips directed downwardly and are arranged so as to correspond to the needles on the machine for producing the article 60.
  • the dial 50 is further provided with means which are capable of retaining the article 60 engaged with the points 53 during and after its transfer from the production machine to the linking or sewing station.
  • the dial 50 is provided with elements for transferring loops of knitting from the points 53 of the overturning half-dial 52b to the points 53 of the fixed half-dial 52a.
  • the apparatus that is served by the reversing device according to the invention, in order to close an axial end of the article, is provided, in the sewing or linking station, with a sewing or linking head, not shown for the sake of simplicity, which can cooperate directly with the points 53 of the fixed half-dial 52a or with the points 55 of an additional half-dial 56, which is arranged below the fixed half-dial 52a and is provided with points 55, which are directed with their tip upwardly and are capable of receiving the loops of knitting retained by the points 53 of the fixed half-dial 52a.
  • the arm 51 by utilizing its ability to rotate about an axis which is parallel to the axis of the needle cylinder of the machine that produces the article, once the production of the article 60 has ended and once the last row of knitting is retained on the needles of the production machine, arranges the dial 50 above and coaxially with respect to the needle cylinder so that each of its points is positioned upwardly at each needle of the machine.
  • the last row of knitting of the article 60, produced by the needles and retained on the needles that produced it is passed, loop by loop, from a rveedle to a point 53 of the dial 50, which again by utilizing the ability to rotate of the arm 51 that supports it is moved laterally to the machine at the sewing or linking station.
  • the article 60 is right way out inside the needle cylinder of the machine and the movement of the dial 50 laterally to the machine achieves the extraction of the article 60 from the needle cylinder, in the case of short articles, or the partial extraction of the article 60 from the needle cylinder in the case of significantly long articles.
  • the arm 51 which supports the dial 50, can also perform a translational motion along its axis of rotation in order to lift and lower the dial 50.
  • the arm 51 in the sewing or linking station, is positioned at a centering arm 57, which is provided with centering pins 58, 59 which are mutually opposite and are designed to keep the arm 51 positioned correctly in the sewing or linking station while allowing a vertical movement of said arm 51 and therefore of the dial 50 which it supports.
  • the reversing device comprises a reversing tube 2, which has a substantially vertical axis 2a and can move on command along its own axis 2a by way of the action of first lifting means in order to pass from a lowered position, in which it is arranged, with its upper end, below the dial 50 arranged in the sewing or linking station, which holds the tubular article 60 so that it hangs from the dial 50 with a first axial end thereof which constitutes the axial end to be closed of the article 60, to at least one raised position, in which it passes through the dial 50 and is arranged with its upper end above the dial 50 so as to evert the tubular article 60 onto the outer lateral surface of the reversing tube 2 starting from the upper end of such reversing tube 2, and vice versa.
  • the device comprises expulsion means which act on the article 60 in order to introflect it inside the reversing tube 2, inserting the first axial end of the article, which is disengaged from the dial 50, into the lower
  • the first lifting means comprise a tube holder 10, which is substantially cylindrical, is arranged coaxially to the reversing tube 2 and has, in an intermediate region of its extension, an axial shoulder 20 against which the lower end of the reversing tube 2, fitted around the part of the tube holder 10 that lies above the axial shoulder 20, can rest.
  • the tube holder 10 is provided as the body of a pneumatic cylinder inside which there is a chamber 11 which has a vertical axis and accommodates, so that it can slide axially, a piston 12 provided with a stem 12a which protrudes downwardly from the tube holder 10.
  • the tube holder 10 can slide axially within a guiding cylinder 14, which in turn is arranged, along part of its axial extension starting from its lower end, internally and coaxially to a supporting cylinder 15.
  • the supporting cylinder 15 is rigidly fixed, at its upper end, to the supporting structure 17 of the device and the guiding cylinder 14 is fixed to the supporting cylinder 15.
  • the guiding cylinder 14 has an axial slot 14a, with which two tabs 44 engage slidingly, said tabs being fixed to the tube holder 10.
  • the coupling of the tabs 44 to the axial slot 14a prevents the rotation of the tube holder 10 about its own axis while allowing the tube holder 10 to perform an axial translational motion with respect to the guiding cylinder 14.
  • the stem 12a is fixed, proximate to its lower end, to a base 13 which is fixed to an external cylinder 16 which is arranged externally and coaxially with respect to the supporting cylinder 15 and can slide axially with respect to it.
  • Two ducts extend within the stem 12a and are connected, at their upper end, respectively to the region of the chamber 11 that is arranged above the piston 12 and to the region located below the piston 12.
  • Such two ducts can be connected selectively to a duct for supplying air under pressure or to a discharge so as to lift or lower the tube holder 10 with respect to the piston 12.
  • the tube holder 10 can be likened to the body of a double- acting pneumatic cylinder in which the stem 12a is fixed while the body, constituted indeed by the tube holder 10, can slide upwardly or downwardly with respect to the stem 12a of the piston 12 as a consequence of the feeding, with air under pressure, of the chamber 11 through one of the two ducts which lie within the stem 12a.
  • the base 13 is connected to the stem 18 of the piston of a pneumatic cylinder 19 which is arranged so that its axis is vertical and is connected, by means of its body, to the supporting structure 17. The actuation of this pneumatic cylinder 19 lifts or lowers the base 13 and consequently the tube holder 10.
  • second lifting means which can engage the reversing tube 2 and can be actuated to move the reversing tube 2 as an alternative to the first lifting means.
  • These second lifting means comprise engagement means, which can engage the reversing tube 2 proximate to its upper end and can move on command along a vertical direction so as to lift the reversing tube 2 in order to disengage it from the tube holder 10 and, after disengaging the reversing tube 2 from the tube holder 10, so as to move the reversing tube 2 from the second lifting position to at least one third lifting position, in which it is arranged so that its upper end is higher than the second lifting position and its lower end is substantially at the level of the dial 50.
  • This connecting tube 30 has a telescopic structure, with an upper part 31 which is fixed to the supporting structure 17 of the machine and a lower part 32 which can move on command along a vertical direction with respect to the upper part 31 so as to fit coaxially on the upper end of the reversing tube 2 in the raised position or disengage from the upper end of the reversing tube 2.
  • the lower part 32 of the connecting tube 30 is provided with engagement means, which can engage a portion of the reversing tube 2 which is proximate to its upper end.
  • Such engagement means comprise a movable pivot 33, which is arranged so that its axis is perpendicular to the axis 2a of the reversing tube 2 and is actuated by a corresponding pneumatic cylinder 34 which is connected to the lower part 32 of the connecting tube 30.
  • a movable pivot 33 By way of the actuation of the pneumatic cylinder 34, the movable pivot 33 can be inserted into or removed from a seat 35, which is defined in the end portion of the reversing tube 2 which can be inserted in the lower part 32 of the connecting tube 30.
  • the engagement means are completed by a sensor 36, which is capable of detecting the presence of the upper end of the reversing tube 2 inside the lower part 32 of the connecting tube 30 with the seat 35 positioned correctly in alignment with the movable pivot 33.
  • the lower part 32 of the connecting tube 30 is connected to the end of the stem 38 of the piston of a pneumatic cylinder 45 which has a vertical axis and is connected, by means of its body, to the supporting structure 17.
  • the pneumatic cylinder 45 is a pneumatic cylinder of a known type with a controlled stroke, in that it can lower or lift the lower part 32 of the connecting tube 30, stopping it in a plurality of positions.
  • the reversing tube 2 has an opening 39 on its lateral surface which extends, starting from the upper end of the reversing tube 2, along a portion of its axial extension so as to receive internally the article 60, as will become better apparent hereinafter.
  • the upper end of the connecting tube 30 is connected to a suction tube 40, which can be connected to a pneumatic suction device of a known type so as to produce suction by means of the connecting tube 30 and therefore through the lower end, in the direction of the upper end, of the reversing tube 2 which is coupled thereto.
  • a pneumatic suction device of a known type so as to produce suction by means of the connecting tube 30 and therefore through the lower end, in the direction of the upper end, of the reversing tube 2 which is coupled thereto.
  • means for pushing the everted article 60 onto the lateral surface of the reversing tube 2 toward the lower end of the reversing tube 2 are provided.
  • Such pusher means comprise a sleeve 42, which is partially inserted coaxially in the lower part 32 of the connecting tube 30 and protrudes from the lower end of the lower part 32 with a portion which ends, in a downward region, with a border 42a which has an enlarged outside diameter.
  • This sleeve 42 can slide axially with respect to the lower part 32 of the connecting tube 30 by way of the action of a pneumatic cylinder 43 which has a vertical axis and is interposed between the lower part 32 and the sleeve 42.
  • the reversing device in addition to pushing the article 60, which is everted on the lateral surface of the reversing tube 2, also at least partially blocks the opening 39 defined in the lateral surface of the reversing tube 2 starting from its upper end, as will become better apparent hereinafter.
  • the reversing device being considered comprises means 70 for braking the article 60 on the outer lateral surface of the reversing tube 2 during the intervention of the expulsion means.
  • said braking means 70 comprise a presser 71, which faces the outer lateral surface of the reversing tube 2 proximate to its lower end, at least when the rod 21 is inserted in said end.
  • the presser 71 can move on command toward or away from the outer lateral surface of the reversing tube 2 in order to engage the article 60, which is everted on the outer lateral surface of the reversing tube 2, or release the outer lateral surface of the reversing tube 2.
  • the presser 71 is arranged below the dial 50.
  • the presser 71 comprises a pressing head 72, which faces the outer lateral surface of the reversing tube 2 when such tube is in the raised position.
  • the pressing head 72 is fixed to a pair of guiding rods 73a, 73b, which are horizontal and mutually parallel and are supported, so that they can slide along their axes, by a supporting block 74.
  • First means for translational motion are connected to the pressing head 72 and can be actuated on command in order to produce the translational motion of the pressing head 72 along a horizontal direction, which is determined by the sliding coupling between the guiding rods 73 a, 73 b and the supporting block 74.
  • Such first translational motion means are constituted by a pneumatic cylinder, which is composed of a chamber 75, whose axis is parallel to the guiding rods 73 a, 73 b, which is defined in the supporting block 74.
  • the chamber 75 accommodates, so that it can slide axially, a piston 76 whose stem 76a is connected to the pressing head 72.
  • a return spring 77 Around the stem 76a, inside the chamber 75, there is a return spring 77, which is interposed between the piston 76 and an axial end of the chamber 75 so as to contrast elastically the movement of the piston 76 along the chamber 75 toward the reversing tube 2 produced by the introduction of pressurized air into the chamber 75 on the opposite side of the piston 76.
  • the pressure of the air that is introduced in the chamber 75, in order to produce the engagement of the pressing head 72 with the article 60 can be changed, by means of known types of pressure adjustment means, so as to vary, according to requirements, the extent of the pressure applied by the pressing head 72 to the article 60 and therefore vary the extent of the braking action applied to the article 60.
  • the supporting block 74 is fixed to a slider 78, which mates slidingly within a dovetail guide 79, which has a vertical axis and is defined in an arm 80 which is fixed to the supporting structure 17.
  • Second translational motion means act on the slider 78 and can be actuated on command in order to move the slider 78 along the dovetail guide 79 and thus produce the vertical movement of the pressing head 72.
  • Such second translational motion means comprise a pneumatic cylinder 81, which has a vertical axis and is fixed, by means of its body, to the arm 80 and is connected, by means of the stem 82 of its piston, to the slider 78.
  • the supporting block 74 also supports an arm 83 which can be actuated in order to turn over the overturning half-dial 52b with respect to the fixed half-dial 52a.
  • the reversing device 1, in the inactive condition preferably has the configuration shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, i.e., with the reversing tube 2 rested against the tube holder 10 and raised into the second lifting position, since the stem 18 of the pneumatic cylinder 19 is retracted into the body of said pneumatic cylinder 19 (the base 13 is raised) and the chamber 1 1 is supplied with air under pressure in its region located above the piston 12.
  • the lower part 32 of the connecting tube 30 is lowered and fitted onto the upper end of the reversing tube 2 and the supporting block 74 is arranged below the half-dial 56.
  • the reversing device When the reversing device must receive an article 60 to be reversed, it is actuated so as to arrange itself in the configuration shown in Figure 4, in which the reversing tube 2, by introducing air under pressure into the region of the chamber 11 located below the piston 12 and by way of the actuation of the pneumatic cylinder 19, is moved to the lowered position, and the lower part 32 of the connecting tube 30, by means of the pneumatic cylinder 45, is raised. Subsequently, the article 60, in the right- way-out configuration, hanging by its upper end from the points 53 of the half-dials 52a, 52b of the dial 50, is picked up, as already described above, by the machine that produced it and moved, by means of the arm 51, into the sewing or linking station at the reversing device 1.
  • the arm 51 is inserted, with a portion thereof provided with a centering seat, between the centering pins 58, 59 and is raised by engaging it with the centering pin 58 until it is brought into abutment against an upper shoulder defined by the centering arm 57.
  • the dial 50 is positioned above and coaxially with respect to the reversing tube 2.
  • the movement of the arm 51 in the sewing or linking station has extracted the article 60 from the needle cylinder of the circular machine that produced it.
  • the path of the article 60 can be diverted, so as to achieve its optimum arrangement, by interference with a sock guard lever 46, which is activated and arranged below the position assumed by the dial 50 on board the reversing device 1.
  • the reversing tube 2 With the dial 50 thus positioned, the reversing tube 2, by introducing air under pressure into the region of the chamber 11 arranged above the piston 12, is raised into the first lifting position. As a consequence of this lifting, the reversing tube 2 crosses, with its upper end, the dial 50, as shown in Figure 5. The crossing of the dial 50 by the upper end of the reversing tube 2 produces the progressive eversion of the article 60, which is engaged with the points 53 of the dial 50, on the lateral surface of the reversing tube 2 starting from its upper end.
  • the article 60 is inside out and arranged above the dial 50, which is engaged with its axial end to be closed by sewing or linking.
  • the sock guard lever 46 is deactivated and the lower part 32 of the connecting tube 30 is lowered, by means of the pneumatic cylinder 45, into a position which is adapted to engage the reversing tube 2, while the reversing tube 2, by means of the pneumatic cylinder 19, is raised further into the second lifting position or engagement position.
  • the upper end of the reversing tube 2 enters the lower part 32 of the connecting tube 30 and is engaged by the engagement of the movable pivot 33 in the seat 35, as shown in Figure 6.
  • the lower part 32 of the connecting tube 30 is raised, by means of the pneumatic cylinder 45, so as to bring the reversing tube 2 into the third lifting position, in which it is arranged so that its lower end is at the level of the dial 50, slightly above the points 53.
  • the base 13 and the tube holder 10 are lowered respectively by means of the pneumatic cylinder 19 and by introducing air under pressure into the region of the chamber 11 that is arranged below the piston 12, as shown in Figure 7.
  • the supporting block 74 is then raised and the overturning half-dial 52b is turned over, by means of the arm 83, below the fixed half-dial 52a so as to make the tip of its points 53 face the tip of the points 53 of the fixed half-dial 52a, as shown in Figure 8.
  • each point 53 of the fixed half-dial 52a supports two loops of knitting.
  • the lower part 32 of the connecting tube 30 is lowered, by means of the pneumatic cylinder 45, to the level at which it had engaged the reversing tube 2 so that the lower end of the reversing tube 2 lies slightly above the points 55 of the half-dial 56, while the arm 51 is lowered, passing over the centering pin 59 and stopping against a lower shoulder which is defined by the centering arm 57, as shown in Figure 9.
  • the fixed half-dial 52a is made to face and approach, with the tip of its points 53, the tip of the points 55 of the half-dial 56 and the pairs of loops of the article 60 are transferred from the points 53 of the fixed half-dial 52a to the points 55 of the half-dial 56.
  • a sewing or linking head of a known type is then activated and cooperates with the points 55, for example as described in the patent application cited above, joining the pairs of loops of knitting carried by said points, thus closing the article 60 at its axial end that had been engaged by the dial 50, as shown in Figure 10.
  • the supporting block 74 is raised so that the pressing head 72 faces the outer lateral surface of the reversing tube 2, and by feeding the chamber 75 with pressurized air the pressing head 72 is pushed toward the reversing tube 2 so as to press the article 60 against it. Subsequently, by feeding with air under pressure the region of the chamber 1 1 arranged above the piston 12, the tube holder 10 is raised and by way of this lifting the rod 21 is inserted in the lower end of the reversing tube 2, engaging the closed end of the article 60, disengaging it from the points 55 of the half-dial 56, and introflecting the article 60 into the reversing tube 2, as shown in Figures 11 and 12.
  • the pressure applied by the pressing head to the article 60 increases the friction between the article 60 and the reversing tube 2, preventing the article 60, as a consequence of the intervention of the rod 21, from being pushed into the reversing tube 2 in a condition in which it is not completely inside out, even if the article 60 is particularly short.
  • the pneumatic cylinder 43 is also actuated and lowers the sleeve 42 along the reversing tube 2 so as to close almost entirely the opening 39 of the reversing tube 2, as shown in Figure 1 1.
  • the tube holder 10 is then lowered again so as to free the arm 51 and the dial 50, which can be returned above the machine for producing the articles in order to pick up a new article 60 to be then taken to the sewing or linking station, while the sleeve 42 is raised.
  • the lower part 32 of the connecting tube is lowered to the same level at which the engagement of the reversing tube 2 was performed and the tube holder 10 is raised into the second lifting position or engagement position, as already explained, so that the reversing tube 2 again rests against the tube holder 10, returning the device to the condition shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3.
  • the sleeve 42 can be used to push, with the border 42a, the article 60 toward the lower end of the reversing tube 2 in different steps of the operation of the device, such as for example before the overturning of the overturning half-dial 52b below the fixed half-dial 52a and simultaneously with the insertion of the rod 21 in the lower end of the reversing tube 2.
  • the device according to the invention fully achieves the intended aim, since it ensures the correct overturning of the articles even if said articles are particularly short.
  • the reversing device has been conceived in particular to equip a sewing or linking station for closing an axial end of tubular articles of the type disclosed in US Patent 7,107,797 and in WO 2004/035894, it can also be used with other apparatuses which support a tubular article which hangs from a dial by an axial end to be closed even in a different manner and with different means with respect to the ones shown in US Patent
  • the reversing device according to the invention has been conceived particularly to reverse short articles, such as for example small socks, it can also be used to reverse articles of medium or great length, if it is necessary to increase the friction between the article and the outer lateral surface of the reversing tube to achieve correct reversing of the article.
  • the materials used, as well as the dimensions, may be any according to requirements and to the state of the art.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Textile Engineering (AREA)
  • Knitting Machines (AREA)
  • Sewing Machines And Sewing (AREA)

Abstract

A device (1) for reversing tubular articles, particularly for circular knitting machines provided with a station for closing an axial end of the tubular article (60). The device comprises a reversing tube (2) which has a vertical axis (2a) and can be inserted with its upper end through a dial (50) from which the article (60) to be reversed hangs with a first axial end thereof, so as to evert the tubular article (60) onto the outer lateral surface of the reversing tube (2). The device comprises expulsion means which act on the article (60) for its introflection inside the reversing tube (2), inserting its first axial end, disengaged from the dial (50), in the lower end of the reversing tube (2). The device further comprises means (70) for braking the article (60) on the outer lateral surface of the reversing tube (2) during the intervention of the expulsion means.

Description

DEVICE FOR REVERSING TUB ULAR ARTICLES, FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES
Technical Field
The present invention relates to a device for reversing tubular articles, particularly for circular knitting machines provided with a station for closing an axial end of the tubular article. Background Art Circular machines, particularly hosiery knitting machines, are known which are equipped with an apparatus which allows to close, by linking or sewing, an axial end of the article at the end of its production on the machine.
In some types of machines, the apparatus that closes an axial end of the articles is integrated in the machine that manufactures the articles, and the closure of an axial end of the articles is performed directly on the machine, interrupting the production of articles during the operation for closing the axial end of an article.
In other types of machines, the apparatus that closes an axial end of the articles is arranged in a sewing or linking station which is separate from the machine for producing the articles and is generally arranged laterally with respect to the production machine. In these kinds of machines, the article, at the end of its production, is removed mechanically from the manufacturing machine and is transferred, after being positioned appropriately, into the sewing or Unking station, in which there are mechanical elements which prepare the axial end of the article and close it by means of a sewing or linking head.
This second type of machines, with respect to the first type, unquestionably has the advantage of not interrupting production activity except for a limited time required to remove the article from the machine. To achieve a satisfactory aesthetic result, the sewing or linking for closing the axial end of the article must be performed on the reverse side of the article, which, as is known, in single-cylinder circular machines is formed right way out. For this reason, if the article is taken from the machine and transferred to the sewing or linking station right way out, at the sewing or linking station there is generally a reversing device which turns the article inside out before sewing or linking an axial end thereof and then turns the article right way out again at the end of the sewing or linking. An apparatus for sewing or linking an axial end of a tubular article manufactured by means of a single-cylinder circular machine and capable of sewing or linking on the reverse side of the article is disclosed for example in US Patent 7,107,797 and in WO 2004/035894.
Such an apparatus substantially comprises a dial provided with a plurality of points directed with their tip downwardly and are arranged along a cylindrical surface which matches the arrangement of the needles of a circular knitting machine for hosiery to be served. This dial is arranged so that its axis is vertical and is supported by means of an arm which can move on command so as to place the dial above and coaxially with respect to the needle cylinder of the machine, placing each point above a needle of the machine.
At the end of the production of the article on the circular machine, the last row of knitting formed is held on the needles that produced it and is then transferred, loop by loop, from a needle to the corresponding point of the dial, which is also provided with means which are capable of retaining the loops of knitting of the article on the points during the transfer of the article from the manufacturing machine to the sewing or linking station.
In the sewing or linking station there is a reversing device which is composed substantially of a reversing tube, which has a vertical axis and can move on command along its own axis so that it is inserted, starting from its upper end, through the dial so as to reverse the article on its outer lateral surface, as will become better apparent hereinafter.
The dial is composed of two half-dials, one of which can be turned over below the other half-dial about a diametrical axis of the dial so as to make the end of its points face below the end of the points of the half-dial that has not been turned over.
In practice, an apparatus of this kind works by taking, by means of the dial, the article right way out from the machine that produced it, keeping it hanging at its axial end to be closed and moving the dial to a coaxial position above the upper end of the reversing tube in a lowered position.
The reversing tube is then raised so that its upper end passes through the dial so as to progressively cause the eversion of the tubular article on the outer lateral surface of the reversing tube starting from its upper end. In this manner, the article is inside out and is arranged above the dial. Once the eversion of the article on the lateral surface of the reversing tube has been completed, the upper end of the reversing tube is engaged and the reversing tube is raised further so as to bring its lower end to a slightly higher level than the points of the dial.
The overturning half-dial of the dial is then turned over about the diametrical axis with respect to the half-dial that cannot be turned over, so as to make each one of its points face from below a corresponding point of the half-dial that has not been overturned, and the loops of knitting carried by the points of the overturned half-dial are transferred to the points of the half-dial that is not overturned, said points thus carrying two loops of knitting each.
At this point, the overturning half-dial is returned to the position in which it is coplanar with respect to the half-dial that has not been overturned, and each pair of loops of knitting is passed from one point of the half-dial of the dial that is not overturned to the point of another half- dial which faces from below the half-dial of the dial that is not overturned. A sewing or linking head cooperates with the points of this other half-dial, which has received a pair of loops of knitting on each of its points, and sews or links the pairs of loops of knitting supported by each point so as to close the axial end of the article. Once closure of the axial end of the article has been completed, such end is inserted in the lower end of the reversing tube by means of a rod and the inside of the reversing tube is subjected to pneumatic suction at its upper end so as to cause the progressive entrainment of the tubular article into the reversing tube starting from its lower end, thus achieving a new reversing of the article, which is returned to the right- way-out configuration and removed from the sewing or linking station.
The use of apparatuses of this kind has revealed problems in reversing short articles.
With short articles, when the rod is inserted through the lower end of the reversing tube to introflect the article inside the reversing tube, the article, due to the limited adhesion of the article to the outer lateral surface of the reversing tube, can be entrained suddenly within the reversing tube and then removed from the sewing or linking station without being completely reversed in order to be returned to the right-way-out configuration.
The incomplete reversing of the article in this step, by not providing an article which is correctly returned to the right-way-out configuration, requires the manual intervention of an operator to complete the reversing so that the condition of the article is compatible with the subsequent finishing and packaging operations. Disclosure of the Invention
The aim of the present invention is to solve the problem described above by providing a device for reversing tubular articles particularly for circular knitting machines provided with a station for closing an axial end of the tubular article which ensures correct reversing of the articles even when they have a particularly limited length.
Within this aim, an object of the invention is to provide a device wnich has precise and reliable operation.
Another object of the invention is to provide a device which can be manufactured at competitive costs.
This aim and these and other objects, which will become better apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a device for reversing tubular articles, particularly for circular knitting machines provided with a station for closing an axial end of the tubular article, comprising a reversing tube which has a substantially vertical axis and can move on command along its own axis from at least one lowered position, in which it is arranged, with its upper end, below a dial which has a substantially vertical axis and is adapted to retain the tubular article so that it hangs from said dial with a first axial end thereof, to at least one raised position, in which it passes through said dial and is arranged so that its upper end lies above said dial in order to evert the tubular article onto the outer lateral surface of the reversing tube, and vice versa; expulsion means being provided which act on the article for its introflection inside said reversing tube, inserting said first axial end of the article, disengaged from said dial, in the lower end of the reversing tube, characterized in that it comprises means for braking the article on the outer lateral surface of said reversing tube during the intervention of said expulsion means. Brief description of the drawings
Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of the reversing device according to the invention, illustrated l/y way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein;
Figure 1 is a schematic sectional view of the lower part of the reversing device, taken along a plane which passes through the axis of the reversing tube; Figure 2 is a schematic view of the upper part of the reversing device, shown in cross-section in a manner similar to Figure 1 ;
Figures 3 to 11 illustrate the operating sequence of the reversing device, shown schematically in a front elevation view; Figure 12 is an enlarged-scale view of a detail of Figure 11;
Figure 13 is a perspective view of a detail of the device according to the invention related to the braking means;
Figure 14 is a top plan view of the detail of Figure 13;
Figure 15 is a sectional view of Figure 14, taken along the plane XV- XV.
Ways of carrying out the Invention
The device according to the invention is designed to be positioned generally at a processing station in which it is necessary to perform a first reversal of a tubular article 60 to allow the execution of particular knitting with the article inside out and then a second reversal to make the article 60 available right way out again or vice versa.
A requirement of this kind is observed for example in closing an axial end of a tubular article, particularly the toe of a sock, if this closing operation is performed by sewing or linking on the reverse side of the article by transferring the article, produced with a circular knitting machine for hosiery, from the production machine to a sewing or linking station which is arranged laterally or otherwise in the vicinity of the production machine by means of a dial 50 which is capable of supporting the article 60 so that it hangs from the dial 50 by means of its axial end to be closed. In particular, the reversing device according to the invention is conceived to equip an apparatus of the type disclosed in US Patent 7,107,797 and in WO 2004/035894.
An apparatus of this kind has an arm 51 which is supported by a supporting structure so that it can rotate about a vertical rotation axis which is spaced laterally with respect to the machine for producing the articles 60 and supports the dial 50 in a region which is spaced from the rotation axis.
The dial 50, as disclosed in the patents cited above, is composed of two half-dials 52a, 52b, which lie mutually side by side along a diametrical plane of the dial 50 and are provided in a downward region with points 53 which have tips directed downwardly and are arranged so as to correspond to the needles on the machine for producing the article 60. The dial 50 is further provided with means which are capable of retaining the article 60 engaged with the points 53 during and after its transfer from the production machine to the linking or sewing station. One of the two half-dials, in the illustrated case the half-dial 52a, is fixed, while the other half-dial 52b can be turned over on command about a diametrical axis 54, below the fixed half-dial 52a, so as to make each of its points 53 face with its tip the tip of a point 53 of the fixed half-dial 52a. Moreover, the dial 50, again as disclosed in the patents cited above, is provided with elements for transferring loops of knitting from the points 53 of the overturning half-dial 52b to the points 53 of the fixed half-dial 52a.
The apparatus that is served by the reversing device according to the invention, in order to close an axial end of the article, is provided, in the sewing or linking station, with a sewing or linking head, not shown for the sake of simplicity, which can cooperate directly with the points 53 of the fixed half-dial 52a or with the points 55 of an additional half-dial 56, which is arranged below the fixed half-dial 52a and is provided with points 55, which are directed with their tip upwardly and are capable of receiving the loops of knitting retained by the points 53 of the fixed half-dial 52a. In practice, according to what is disclosed in the patents cited above, the arm 51, by utilizing its ability to rotate about an axis which is parallel to the axis of the needle cylinder of the machine that produces the article, once the production of the article 60 has ended and once the last row of knitting is retained on the needles of the production machine, arranges the dial 50 above and coaxially with respect to the needle cylinder so that each of its points is positioned upwardly at each needle of the machine. Subsequently, the last row of knitting of the article 60, produced by the needles and retained on the needles that produced it, is passed, loop by loop, from a rveedle to a point 53 of the dial 50, which again by utilizing the ability to rotate of the arm 51 that supports it is moved laterally to the machine at the sewing or linking station. Before removal from the production machine, the article 60 is right way out inside the needle cylinder of the machine and the movement of the dial 50 laterally to the machine achieves the extraction of the article 60 from the needle cylinder, in the case of short articles, or the partial extraction of the article 60 from the needle cylinder in the case of significantly long articles.
The arm 51, which supports the dial 50, can also perform a translational motion along its axis of rotation in order to lift and lower the dial 50. The arm 51, in the sewing or linking station, is positioned at a centering arm 57, which is provided with centering pins 58, 59 which are mutually opposite and are designed to keep the arm 51 positioned correctly in the sewing or linking station while allowing a vertical movement of said arm 51 and therefore of the dial 50 which it supports. As regards additional details concerning the dial 50 and the technique for closing an axial end of a tubular article 60, reference is made for the sake of completeness to the patents cited above.
The reversing device according to the invention, generally designated by the reference numeral 1, comprises a reversing tube 2, which has a substantially vertical axis 2a and can move on command along its own axis 2a by way of the action of first lifting means in order to pass from a lowered position, in which it is arranged, with its upper end, below the dial 50 arranged in the sewing or linking station, which holds the tubular article 60 so that it hangs from the dial 50 with a first axial end thereof which constitutes the axial end to be closed of the article 60, to at least one raised position, in which it passes through the dial 50 and is arranged with its upper end above the dial 50 so as to evert the tubular article 60 onto the outer lateral surface of the reversing tube 2 starting from the upper end of such reversing tube 2, and vice versa. The device comprises expulsion means which act on the article 60 in order to introflect it inside the reversing tube 2, inserting the first axial end of the article, which is disengaged from the dial 50, into the lower end of the reversing tube 2.
More particularly, the first lifting means comprise a tube holder 10, which is substantially cylindrical, is arranged coaxially to the reversing tube 2 and has, in an intermediate region of its extension, an axial shoulder 20 against which the lower end of the reversing tube 2, fitted around the part of the tube holder 10 that lies above the axial shoulder 20, can rest.
The tube holder 10 is provided as the body of a pneumatic cylinder inside which there is a chamber 11 which has a vertical axis and accommodates, so that it can slide axially, a piston 12 provided with a stem 12a which protrudes downwardly from the tube holder 10.
The tube holder 10 can slide axially within a guiding cylinder 14, which in turn is arranged, along part of its axial extension starting from its lower end, internally and coaxially to a supporting cylinder 15. The supporting cylinder 15 is rigidly fixed, at its upper end, to the supporting structure 17 of the device and the guiding cylinder 14 is fixed to the supporting cylinder 15.
The guiding cylinder 14 has an axial slot 14a, with which two tabs 44 engage slidingly, said tabs being fixed to the tube holder 10. The coupling of the tabs 44 to the axial slot 14a prevents the rotation of the tube holder 10 about its own axis while allowing the tube holder 10 to perform an axial translational motion with respect to the guiding cylinder 14.
The stem 12a is fixed, proximate to its lower end, to a base 13 which is fixed to an external cylinder 16 which is arranged externally and coaxially with respect to the supporting cylinder 15 and can slide axially with respect to it.
Two ducts extend within the stem 12a and are connected, at their upper end, respectively to the region of the chamber 11 that is arranged above the piston 12 and to the region located below the piston 12. Such two ducts can be connected selectively to a duct for supplying air under pressure or to a discharge so as to lift or lower the tube holder 10 with respect to the piston 12.
In practice, the tube holder 10 can be likened to the body of a double- acting pneumatic cylinder in which the stem 12a is fixed while the body, constituted indeed by the tube holder 10, can slide upwardly or downwardly with respect to the stem 12a of the piston 12 as a consequence of the feeding, with air under pressure, of the chamber 11 through one of the two ducts which lie within the stem 12a. The base 13 is connected to the stem 18 of the piston of a pneumatic cylinder 19 which is arranged so that its axis is vertical and is connected, by means of its body, to the supporting structure 17. The actuation of this pneumatic cylinder 19 lifts or lowers the base 13 and consequently the tube holder 10. In practice, by acting on the pneumatic cylinder 19 so that the base 13 is lowered and by supplying with air under pressure the region of the chamber 1 1 arranged above the piston 12, it is possible to place the reversing tube 2, which rests against the shoulder 20, to a first lifting position, in which it passes through the dial 50 and is arranged so that its upper end lies above the dial 50. By then acting on the pneumatic cylinder 19 so that the base 13 is raised, one achieves an additional lifting of the reversing tube 2, which still rests against the shoulder 20 and is moved to a second lifting position or engagement position, in which its lower end lies proximate to the half-dial 56. A rod 21 is connected coaxially to the tube holder 10, at its upper end, and is part of the expulsion means cited above, as will become better apparent hereinafter.
Conveniently, there are second lifting means, which can engage the reversing tube 2 and can be actuated to move the reversing tube 2 as an alternative to the first lifting means. These second lifting means comprise engagement means, which can engage the reversing tube 2 proximate to its upper end and can move on command along a vertical direction so as to lift the reversing tube 2 in order to disengage it from the tube holder 10 and, after disengaging the reversing tube 2 from the tube holder 10, so as to move the reversing tube 2 from the second lifting position to at least one third lifting position, in which it is arranged so that its upper end is higher than the second lifting position and its lower end is substantially at the level of the dial 50.
More particularly, above and coaxially with respect to the reversing tube 2 there is a connecting tube 30. This connecting tube 30 has a telescopic structure, with an upper part 31 which is fixed to the supporting structure 17 of the machine and a lower part 32 which can move on command along a vertical direction with respect to the upper part 31 so as to fit coaxially on the upper end of the reversing tube 2 in the raised position or disengage from the upper end of the reversing tube 2.
The lower part 32 of the connecting tube 30 is provided with engagement means, which can engage a portion of the reversing tube 2 which is proximate to its upper end.
Such engagement means comprise a movable pivot 33, which is arranged so that its axis is perpendicular to the axis 2a of the reversing tube 2 and is actuated by a corresponding pneumatic cylinder 34 which is connected to the lower part 32 of the connecting tube 30. By way of the actuation of the pneumatic cylinder 34, the movable pivot 33 can be inserted into or removed from a seat 35, which is defined in the end portion of the reversing tube 2 which can be inserted in the lower part 32 of the connecting tube 30. The engagement means are completed by a sensor 36, which is capable of detecting the presence of the upper end of the reversing tube 2 inside the lower part 32 of the connecting tube 30 with the seat 35 positioned correctly in alignment with the movable pivot 33. The lower part 32 of the connecting tube 30 is connected to the end of the stem 38 of the piston of a pneumatic cylinder 45 which has a vertical axis and is connected, by means of its body, to the supporting structure 17. The pneumatic cylinder 45 is a pneumatic cylinder of a known type with a controlled stroke, in that it can lower or lift the lower part 32 of the connecting tube 30, stopping it in a plurality of positions.
The reversing tube 2 has an opening 39 on its lateral surface which extends, starting from the upper end of the reversing tube 2, along a portion of its axial extension so as to receive internally the article 60, as will become better apparent hereinafter. The upper end of the connecting tube 30 is connected to a suction tube 40, which can be connected to a pneumatic suction device of a known type so as to produce suction by means of the connecting tube 30 and therefore through the lower end, in the direction of the upper end, of the reversing tube 2 which is coupled thereto. Advantageously, means for pushing the everted article 60 onto the lateral surface of the reversing tube 2 toward the lower end of the reversing tube 2 are provided.
Such pusher means comprise a sleeve 42, which is partially inserted coaxially in the lower part 32 of the connecting tube 30 and protrudes from the lower end of the lower part 32 with a portion which ends, in a downward region, with a border 42a which has an enlarged outside diameter. This sleeve 42 can slide axially with respect to the lower part 32 of the connecting tube 30 by way of the action of a pneumatic cylinder 43 which has a vertical axis and is interposed between the lower part 32 and the sleeve 42. The sleeve 42, in addition to pushing the article 60, which is everted on the lateral surface of the reversing tube 2, also at least partially blocks the opening 39 defined in the lateral surface of the reversing tube 2 starting from its upper end, as will become better apparent hereinafter. According to the invention, the reversing device being considered comprises means 70 for braking the article 60 on the outer lateral surface of the reversing tube 2 during the intervention of the expulsion means.
Preferably, said braking means 70 comprise a presser 71, which faces the outer lateral surface of the reversing tube 2 proximate to its lower end, at least when the rod 21 is inserted in said end. The presser 71 can move on command toward or away from the outer lateral surface of the reversing tube 2 in order to engage the article 60, which is everted on the outer lateral surface of the reversing tube 2, or release the outer lateral surface of the reversing tube 2. Preferably, the presser 71 is arranged below the dial 50.
More particularly, the presser 71 comprises a pressing head 72, which faces the outer lateral surface of the reversing tube 2 when such tube is in the raised position. The pressing head 72 is fixed to a pair of guiding rods 73a, 73b, which are horizontal and mutually parallel and are supported, so that they can slide along their axes, by a supporting block 74. First means for translational motion are connected to the pressing head 72 and can be actuated on command in order to produce the translational motion of the pressing head 72 along a horizontal direction, which is determined by the sliding coupling between the guiding rods 73 a, 73 b and the supporting block 74. Such first translational motion means are constituted by a pneumatic cylinder, which is composed of a chamber 75, whose axis is parallel to the guiding rods 73 a, 73 b, which is defined in the supporting block 74. The chamber 75 accommodates, so that it can slide axially, a piston 76 whose stem 76a is connected to the pressing head 72. Around the stem 76a, inside the chamber 75, there is a return spring 77, which is interposed between the piston 76 and an axial end of the chamber 75 so as to contrast elastically the movement of the piston 76 along the chamber 75 toward the reversing tube 2 produced by the introduction of pressurized air into the chamber 75 on the opposite side of the piston 76. It should be noted that the pressure of the air that is introduced in the chamber 75, in order to produce the engagement of the pressing head 72 with the article 60, can be changed, by means of known types of pressure adjustment means, so as to vary, according to requirements, the extent of the pressure applied by the pressing head 72 to the article 60 and therefore vary the extent of the braking action applied to the article 60.
The supporting block 74 is fixed to a slider 78, which mates slidingly within a dovetail guide 79, which has a vertical axis and is defined in an arm 80 which is fixed to the supporting structure 17.
Second translational motion means act on the slider 78 and can be actuated on command in order to move the slider 78 along the dovetail guide 79 and thus produce the vertical movement of the pressing head 72. Such second translational motion means comprise a pneumatic cylinder 81, which has a vertical axis and is fixed, by means of its body, to the arm 80 and is connected, by means of the stem 82 of its piston, to the slider 78. For the sake of completeness in description, it should be noted that the supporting block 74 also supports an arm 83 which can be actuated in order to turn over the overturning half-dial 52b with respect to the fixed half-dial 52a.
Operation of the device according to the invention is described hereinafter with particular reference to Figures 3 to 12, in which the dial 50 and the arm 51 that supports it, if provided, are shown in phantom lines, while the article 60 is shown in an axial sectional view in order to allow to view the reversing device.
The reversing device 1, in the inactive condition, preferably has the configuration shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, i.e., with the reversing tube 2 rested against the tube holder 10 and raised into the second lifting position, since the stem 18 of the pneumatic cylinder 19 is retracted into the body of said pneumatic cylinder 19 (the base 13 is raised) and the chamber 1 1 is supplied with air under pressure in its region located above the piston 12. In this condition, the lower part 32 of the connecting tube 30 is lowered and fitted onto the upper end of the reversing tube 2 and the supporting block 74 is arranged below the half-dial 56.
When the reversing device must receive an article 60 to be reversed, it is actuated so as to arrange itself in the configuration shown in Figure 4, in which the reversing tube 2, by introducing air under pressure into the region of the chamber 11 located below the piston 12 and by way of the actuation of the pneumatic cylinder 19, is moved to the lowered position, and the lower part 32 of the connecting tube 30, by means of the pneumatic cylinder 45, is raised. Subsequently, the article 60, in the right- way-out configuration, hanging by its upper end from the points 53 of the half-dials 52a, 52b of the dial 50, is picked up, as already described above, by the machine that produced it and moved, by means of the arm 51, into the sewing or linking station at the reversing device 1. The arm 51 is inserted, with a portion thereof provided with a centering seat, between the centering pins 58, 59 and is raised by engaging it with the centering pin 58 until it is brought into abutment against an upper shoulder defined by the centering arm 57. In this manner, the dial 50 is positioned above and coaxially with respect to the reversing tube 2. The movement of the arm 51 in the sewing or linking station has extracted the article 60 from the needle cylinder of the circular machine that produced it. During the transfer, the path of the article 60 can be diverted, so as to achieve its optimum arrangement, by interference with a sock guard lever 46, which is activated and arranged below the position assumed by the dial 50 on board the reversing device 1. With the dial 50 thus positioned, the reversing tube 2, by introducing air under pressure into the region of the chamber 11 arranged above the piston 12, is raised into the first lifting position. As a consequence of this lifting, the reversing tube 2 crosses, with its upper end, the dial 50, as shown in Figure 5. The crossing of the dial 50 by the upper end of the reversing tube 2 produces the progressive eversion of the article 60, which is engaged with the points 53 of the dial 50, on the lateral surface of the reversing tube 2 starting from its upper end.
It should be noted that during eversion the article 60 rises within the reversing tube 2, entering through the opening 39 and exiting from the upper end of the reversing tube 2.
Once the eversion of the article 60 onto the outer lateral surface of the reversing tube 2 has been completed, the article 60 is inside out and arranged above the dial 50, which is engaged with its axial end to be closed by sewing or linking. The sock guard lever 46 is deactivated and the lower part 32 of the connecting tube 30 is lowered, by means of the pneumatic cylinder 45, into a position which is adapted to engage the reversing tube 2, while the reversing tube 2, by means of the pneumatic cylinder 19, is raised further into the second lifting position or engagement position. In this manner, the upper end of the reversing tube 2 enters the lower part 32 of the connecting tube 30 and is engaged by the engagement of the movable pivot 33 in the seat 35, as shown in Figure 6.
At this point, the lower part 32 of the connecting tube 30 is raised, by means of the pneumatic cylinder 45, so as to bring the reversing tube 2 into the third lifting position, in which it is arranged so that its lower end is at the level of the dial 50, slightly above the points 53. The base 13 and the tube holder 10 are lowered respectively by means of the pneumatic cylinder 19 and by introducing air under pressure into the region of the chamber 11 that is arranged below the piston 12, as shown in Figure 7. The supporting block 74 is then raised and the overturning half-dial 52b is turned over, by means of the arm 83, below the fixed half-dial 52a so as to make the tip of its points 53 face the tip of the points 53 of the fixed half-dial 52a, as shown in Figure 8.
The loops of knitting supported by the points 53 of the overturning half-dial 52b are transferred, for example as shown in the patents cited above, to the points 53 of the fixed half-dial 52a and the overturning half- dial 52b is returned to a coplanar position, to the side of the fixed half-dial 52a, by means of the arm 83 which is supported by the supporting block 74, which is then returned below the half-dial 56. In this manner, each point 53 of the fixed half-dial 52a supports two loops of knitting.
The lower part 32 of the connecting tube 30 is lowered, by means of the pneumatic cylinder 45, to the level at which it had engaged the reversing tube 2 so that the lower end of the reversing tube 2 lies slightly above the points 55 of the half-dial 56, while the arm 51 is lowered, passing over the centering pin 59 and stopping against a lower shoulder which is defined by the centering arm 57, as shown in Figure 9.
In this manner, the fixed half-dial 52a is made to face and approach, with the tip of its points 53, the tip of the points 55 of the half-dial 56 and the pairs of loops of the article 60 are transferred from the points 53 of the fixed half-dial 52a to the points 55 of the half-dial 56.
A sewing or linking head of a known type, not shown for the sake of simplicity, is then activated and cooperates with the points 55, for example as described in the patent application cited above, joining the pairs of loops of knitting carried by said points, thus closing the article 60 at its axial end that had been engaged by the dial 50, as shown in Figure 10.
At this point, the supporting block 74 is raised so that the pressing head 72 faces the outer lateral surface of the reversing tube 2, and by feeding the chamber 75 with pressurized air the pressing head 72 is pushed toward the reversing tube 2 so as to press the article 60 against it. Subsequently, by feeding with air under pressure the region of the chamber 1 1 arranged above the piston 12, the tube holder 10 is raised and by way of this lifting the rod 21 is inserted in the lower end of the reversing tube 2, engaging the closed end of the article 60, disengaging it from the points 55 of the half-dial 56, and introflecting the article 60 into the reversing tube 2, as shown in Figures 11 and 12.
It should be noted that the pressure applied by the pressing head to the article 60 increases the friction between the article 60 and the reversing tube 2, preventing the article 60, as a consequence of the intervention of the rod 21, from being pushed into the reversing tube 2 in a condition in which it is not completely inside out, even if the article 60 is particularly short.
In this step, if required, it is also possible to lift the base 13, by means of the pneumatic cylinder 19, in order to increase the rise of the rod 21 within the reversing tube 2, and the suction tube 40 can be connected to a suction device which generates a rising air stream within the reversing tube 2.
The pneumatic cylinder 43 is also actuated and lowers the sleeve 42 along the reversing tube 2 so as to close almost entirely the opening 39 of the reversing tube 2, as shown in Figure 1 1.
Once the article 60 has been inserted completely within the reversing tube 2, it is moved away by suction along the suction tube 40.
The tube holder 10 is then lowered again so as to free the arm 51 and the dial 50, which can be returned above the machine for producing the articles in order to pick up a new article 60 to be then taken to the sewing or linking station, while the sleeve 42 is raised. At this point, the lower part 32 of the connecting tube is lowered to the same level at which the engagement of the reversing tube 2 was performed and the tube holder 10 is raised into the second lifting position or engagement position, as already explained, so that the reversing tube 2 again rests against the tube holder 10, returning the device to the condition shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3. If articles of medium length are processed, the sleeve 42 can be used to push, with the border 42a, the article 60 toward the lower end of the reversing tube 2 in different steps of the operation of the device, such as for example before the overturning of the overturning half-dial 52b below the fixed half-dial 52a and simultaneously with the insertion of the rod 21 in the lower end of the reversing tube 2.
In practice it has been found that the device according to the invention fully achieves the intended aim, since it ensures the correct overturning of the articles even if said articles are particularly short. Although the reversing device has been conceived in particular to equip a sewing or linking station for closing an axial end of tubular articles of the type disclosed in US Patent 7,107,797 and in WO 2004/035894, it can also be used with other apparatuses which support a tubular article which hangs from a dial by an axial end to be closed even in a different manner and with different means with respect to the ones shown in US Patent
7,107,797 and in WO 2004/035894.
Moreover, although the reversing device according to the invention has been conceived particularly to reverse short articles, such as for example small socks, it can also be used to reverse articles of medium or great length, if it is necessary to increase the friction between the article and the outer lateral surface of the reversing tube to achieve correct reversing of the article.
The reversing device thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims; all the details may further be replaced with other technically equivalent elements.
In practice, the materials used, as well as the dimensions, may be any according to requirements and to the state of the art.
The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. MI2006A001717 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.
Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.

Claims

1. A device for reversing tubular articles, particularly for circular knitting machines provided with a station for closing an axial end of the tubular article, comprising a reversing tube which has a substantially vertical axis and can move on command along its own axis from at least one lowered position, in which it is arranged, with its upper end, below a dial which has a substantially vertical axis and is adapted to retain the tubular article so that it hangs from said dial with a first axial end thereof, to at least one raised position, in which it passes through said dial and is arranged so that its upper end lies above said dial in order to evert the tubular article onto the outer lateral surface of the reversing tube, and vice versa; expulsion means being provided which act on the article for its introflection inside said reversing tube, inserting said first axial end of the article, disengaged from said dial, in the lower end of the reversing tube, characterized in that it comprises means for braking the article on the outer lateral surface of said reversing tube during the intervention of said expulsion means.
2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that said braking means comprise a presser which faces the outer lateral surface of said reversing tube proximate to its lower end, said presser being movable on command toward or away with respect to the outer lateral surface of the reversing tube in order to engage the article which is everted onto the outer lateral surface of the reversing tube or free the outer lateral surface of the reversing tube.
3. The device according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that it comprises means for adjusting the extent of the braking action applied by said braking means to the article.
4. The device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said adjustment means comprise means for adjusting the pressure applied by said presser to said article.
5. The device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said presser is arranged below said dial.
6. The device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said presser comprises a presser head which faces the outer lateral surface of the reversing tube in the raised position and is supported so that it can slide, along a substantially horizontal direction, by a supporting block, first means for the translational motion of said presser head along said substantially horizontal direction being provided.
7. The device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said first means for translational motion comprise a first fluid-operated actuator, which is interposed between said supporting block and said presser head.
8. The device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said supporting block is mounted on a slider which is supported so that it can slide along a substantially vertical direction by a supporting structure, second means being provided for the translational motion of said block along said substantially vertical direction.
9. The device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said second translational motion means comprise a second fluid-operated actuator, which is interposed between said supporting structure and said slider.
10. The device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said expulsion means comprise a rod which can be inserted in the lower end of the reversing tube and can engage said first axial end of the article, which is closed after the insertion of said reversing tube through said dial and disengaged from said dial.
11. The device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said expulsion means comprise pneumatic suction means which can be connected to the upper end of said reversing tube after the eversion of the article onto the lateral surface of said reversing tube.
12. The device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises first lifting means which support said reversing tube from below and can be actuated in order to produce the translational motion of said reversing tube along its own axis from said lowered position to said at least one raised position.
13. The device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises second lifting means, which can engage said reversing tube proximate to its upper end and can move on command along a vertical direction in order to produce the translational motion of said reversing tube along its own axis independently of said first lifting means.
14. The device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said first lifting means define a support for the lower end of said reversing tube and can be actuated on command in order to produce the passage of said reversing tube from said lowered position, in which it is arranged with its upper end below said dial, to a first lifting position, in which it is arranged so that its upper end lies above said dial, and from said first lifting position to a second lifting position, in which it is arranged so that its upper end lies above the position occupied by said upper end in said first lifting position at a height which is suitable for engagement with said second lifting means.
15. The device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said second lifting means comprise means for engaging the reversing tube proximate to its upper end, which can move on command in order to move said reversing tube from said second lifting position to a third lifting position, in which it is arranged so that its upper end lies at a higher level than said second lifting position and its lower end lies substantially at the level of said dial or vice versa.
16. A method for reversing tubular articles, particularly in circular knitting machines provided with a station for closing an axial end of the tubular article, comprising the following steps: — arranging the article so that it hangs, at an axial end, from a dial which has a substantially vertical axis;
- inserting the upper end of a reversing tube, which has a substantially vertical axis, through said dial, moving the upper end of the reversing tube above said dial, causing the eversion of the article onto the outer lateral surface of the reversing tube;
- moving the lower end of the reversing tube to the level of, or directly above, said dial;
- releasing the axial end of the article, disengaging it from said dial;
- gradually inserting the article into the reversing tube, starting from the axial end of the article previously retained by said dial, through the lower end of the reversing tube; characterized in that during the insertion of the article within the reversing tube an article braking action is applied to the outer lateral surface of the reversing tube.
17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that said breaking action is applied by pressing a portion of the article against the outer lateral surface of the reversing tube.
18. The method according to claims 16 and 17, characterized in that said braking action is applied by pressing a portion of the article against the outer lateral surface of the reversing tube proximate to the lower end of the reversing tube.
19. The method according to one or more of claim 16-18, characterized in that the axial end of the article retained by said dial is closed before being inserted through the lower end of the reversing tube.
20. The method according to one or more of claim 16-19, characterized in that the insertion of the axial end of the article in the lower end of the reversing tube and its upward thrust are performed by inserting, through the lower end of the reversing tube, a rod which has a substantially vertical axis.
21. The method according to one or more of claim 16-20, characterized in that the interior of the reversing tube, at least after the insertion of the axial end of the article previously retained by the dial, is subjected to pneumatic suction at its upper end in order to generate a stream of air through its lower end toward its upper end.
PCT/EP2007/007485 2006-09-08 2007-08-27 Device for reversing tubular articles, for circular knitting machines WO2008028576A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
ITMI2006A001717 2006-09-08
ITMI20061717 ITMI20061717A1 (en) 2006-09-08 2006-09-08 MANUFACTURER OF TUBULAR MANUFACTURED ITEMS, PARTICULARLY FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES EQUIPPED WITH A CLOSING STATION OF AN AXIAL END OF THE TUBULAR MANUAL

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WO2008028576A1 true WO2008028576A1 (en) 2008-03-13
WO2008028576A8 WO2008028576A8 (en) 2008-05-29

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WO (1) WO2008028576A1 (en)

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CN105887311A (en) * 2015-12-07 2016-08-24 浙江海润精工机械有限公司 Tooth rack operating assembly for transferring device of sock sewing machine
IT201900009615A1 (en) 2019-06-20 2020-12-20 Santoni & C Spa Reversing device for tubular knitted products and method for overturning a tubular knitted product

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JP2016507285A (en) * 2013-01-16 2016-03-10 ロナティ エッセ．ピ．ア． Method for automatically closing the axial end of a tubular product and removing the tubular product from the front and back, and apparatus for performing this method
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EA028384B1 (en) * 2013-01-16 2017-11-30 ЛОНАТИ С.п.А. Method for closing automatically an axial end of a tubular manufacture and for unloading it in an inside-out configuration, and apparatus for performing the method
WO2014131794A1 (en) * 2013-02-28 2014-09-04 Lonati S.P.A. Method for performing the automated closure of an axial end of a tubular manufacture and for unloading it inside out and apparatus for performing the method
JP2016511673A (en) * 2013-02-28 2016-04-21 ロナティ エッセ．ピ．ア． Method for automatically closing the axial end of a tubular product and removing the tubular product from the front and back, and an apparatus for performing this method
US9617672B2 (en) 2013-02-28 2017-04-11 Lonati S.P.A. Method for performing the automated closure of an axial end of a tubular manufacture and for unloading it inside out and apparatus for performing the method
CN105189845A (en) * 2013-02-28 2015-12-23 罗纳地股份公司 Method for performing the automated closure of an axial end of a tubular manufacture and for unloading it inside out and apparatus for performing the method
EA029626B1 (en) * 2013-02-28 2018-04-30 ЛОНАТИ С.п.А. Method for performing the automated closure of an axial end of a tubular manufacture and for unloading it inside out and apparatus for performing the method
ITMI20130296A1 (en) * 2013-02-28 2014-08-29 Lonati Spa PROCEDURE FOR IMPLEMENTING THE AUTOMATED CLOSURE OF AN AXIAL END OF A TUBULAR MANUFACTURE AND ITS EXHAUST UNDER REVERSE AND EQUIPMENT FOR ITS EXECUTION.
CN105887320A (en) * 2015-12-07 2016-08-24 浙江海润精工机械有限公司 Integrated socks machine
CN105887311A (en) * 2015-12-07 2016-08-24 浙江海润精工机械有限公司 Tooth rack operating assembly for transferring device of sock sewing machine
IT201900009615A1 (en) 2019-06-20 2020-12-20 Santoni & C Spa Reversing device for tubular knitted products and method for overturning a tubular knitted product

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