Method for knitting a three-dimensional knitted fabric

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10988871-B2
Application number	US-201716337007-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 4, 2017
Priority date	Oct 7, 2016
Publication date	Apr 27, 2021
Grant date	Apr 27, 2021

Abstract

A three-dimensional knitted fabric with a large-diameter circular knitting machine is knitted with a plurality of stitches that form a plurality of stitch courses oriented in each case in a stitch-course direction of the knitted fabric and a plurality of stitch wales oriented in each case in a stitch-wale direction of the knitted fabric, wherein at least one of the stitches is in the form of at least one corrugation-forming stitch, which extends in the stitch-wale direction over a plurality of stitch courses and binds at least one corrugation in the knitted fabric.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for knitting a three-dimensional knitted fabric with a circular knitting machine, comprising:
knitting the knitted fabric with a plurality of stitches that form a plurality of stitch courses oriented in each case in a stitch-course direction of the knitted fabric and a plurality of stitch wales oriented respectively in a stitch-wale direction of the knitted fabric;
wherein at least one of the stitches is in the form of at least one corrugation-forming stitch that extends in the stitch-wale direction over a plurality of stitch courses and binds at least one corrugation in the knitted fabric; and
wherein the binding of the at least one corrugation by the corrugation forming stitch takes away excess material from a two-dimensional pattern such that the three-dimensional knitted fabric is created.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one corrugation at least partially shortens the knitted fabric in the stitch-wale direction.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one corrugation-forming stitch folds a plurality of stitch courses to form the at least one corrugation.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one corrugation extends in the stitch-course direction.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein, in at least one stitch course, a plurality of corrugation-forming stitches are formed extending in the stitch-wale direction at least partially over a different number of stitch courses.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein two corrugation-forming stitches that are adjacent in the stitch-course direction are spaced apart by at least one stitch wale.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one corrugation-forming stitch is formed by at least one float stitch.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one corrugation is formed on an inner side of the knitted fabric.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one corrugation-forming stitch extends in the stitch-wale direction of the knitted fabric over at least 5 stitch courses.

10. The method of claim 6 , wherein the at least one corrugation-forming stitch extends in the stitch-wale direction of the knitted fabric over at most 150 stitch courses.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein, following the formation of the at least one corrugation-forming stitch, the at least one corrugation-forming stitch gathers at least one corrugation in the knitted fabric.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein, following the formation of the at least one corrugation-forming stitch, the at least one corrugation-forming stitch is tightened such that a spacing between a stitch feet of the at least one corrugation-forming stitch and a stitch head of the at least one corrugation-forming stitch is reduced.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein, following the tightening of the at least one corrugation-forming stitch, a length of the at least one corrugation-forming stitch in the stitch-wale direction corresponds to a length of the stitch that is adjacent in the stitch-course direction in the stitch course of the at least one corrugation-forming stitch.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one corrugation-forming stitch binds a region, located between a stitch feet of the at least one corrugation-forming stitch and a stitch head of the at least one corrugation-forming stitch, of the knitted fabric to form the at least one corrugation.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one corrugation is in the form of a loop or of a dart.

Assignees

• Rwth Aachen

Inventors

• Fuhrmann Kristina
• Gries Thomas
• Schrepfer Isabel
• Riedlinger Richard

Classifications

• D04B1/108

  Gussets, e.g. pouches or heel or toe portions · CPC title

• D10B2403/0331

  with one or more convex or concave portions of limited extension, e.g. domes or pouches · CPC title

• D04B1/22 Primary

  specially adapted for knitting goods of particular configuration · CPC title

• D10B2403/0113

  One surface including hollow piping or integrated straps, e.g. for inserts or mountings · CPC title

• D10B2403/0332

  with gussets folding into three dimensional shape, e.g. seat covers · CPC title