Flat-knitted three-dimensional fabric with internal support structure, and method for preparing same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11828008-B2
Application number	US-202117603946-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 22, 2021
Priority date	Jun 15, 2020
Publication date	Nov 28, 2023
Grant date	Nov 28, 2023

Abstract

A flat-knitted three-dimensional fabric with an internal support structure, and the fabric is consisted of an upper surface layer, a lower surface layer, and a support structure yarn in a middle, wherein the upper surface layer and the lower surface layer comprise alternate-knitted single-sided stitches and fully-knitted single-sided stitches; the upper surface layer and the lower surface layer are connected by means of tuck knitting of the support structure yarn in the middle to form the integrally formed three-dimensional fabric with an internal support structure; and the alternate-knitted single-sided stitches are correspond to tuck loops formed by the support structure yarn and are used to lock the tuck loops formed by the support structure yarn in the middle, such that the support structure yarn will not puncture the surfaces of the fabric when the fabric is pressed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A flat-knitted three-dimensional fabric with an internal support structure, being consisted of an upper surface layer, a lower surface layer, and a support structure yarn in a middle, wherein the upper surface layer and the lower surface layer comprise alternate-knitted single-sided stitches and fully-knitted single-sided stitches; the upper surface layer and the lower surface layer are connected by means of tuck knitting of the support structure yarn in the middle to form the integrally formed three-dimensional fabric with an internal support structure; and the alternate-knitted single-sided stitches are connected to tuck loops formed by the support structure yarn and are used to lock the tuck loops formed by the support structure yarn in the middle,
wherein the fabric is knitted on a four-needle bed computerized flat knitting machine, and the upper surface layer and the lower surface layer of the fabric are two single-sided stitch fabrics knitted by the computerized flat knitting machine, and
wherein the support structure yarn in the middle is tuck-knitted on the computerized flat knitting machine as follows: multiple layers of tuck loops with a same connecting distance are alternate-knitted between a front lower needle bed and a back lower needle bed.

2. The flat-knitted three-dimensional fabric with an internal support structure according to claim 1 , wherein the upper surface layer and the lower surface layer of the fabric further comprise meshes, and the meshes on the upper surface layer and the meshes on the lower surface layer are formed by a loop-transfer knitting process.

3. The flat-knitted three-dimensional fabric with an internal support structure according to claim 1 , wherein the support structure yarn in the middle of the fabric is a 50 D-1000 D polyester monofilament.

4. The flat-knitted three-dimensional fabric with an internal support structure according to claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the flat-knitted three-dimensional fabric with an internal support structure is 5 mm-28 mm.

5. The method according to claim 1 , comprising: knitting two courses of fully-knitted single-sided stitches of the upper surface layer and the lower surface layer from a yarn on the four-needle bed computerized flat knitting machine provided with an electronic needle selection device by means of a tubular knitting process, then knitting tuck loops on two needle beds, used for knitting the upper surface layer and the lower surface layer, from a support structure yarn to connect the upper surface layer and the lower surface layer into a whole, then knitting two wales of fully-knitted single-sided stitches of the upper surface layer and the lower surface layer on the computerized flat knitting machine by means of the tubular knitting process, and then knitting two courses of single-sided stitches every one stitch from the yarn of the upper surface layer and the lower surface layer on the computerized flat knitting machine by means of the tubular knitting process, wherein after the support structure yarn is tuck-knotted, the one-sided stitches are knotted every one stitch to lock tuck loop structures, such that the support structure yarn is prevented from punching surfaces of the fabric when the fabric is pressed.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the computerized flat knitting machine is a four-needle bed computerized flat knitting machine and is provided with a front lower needle bed, a back lower needle bed, a front upper needle bed and a back upper needle bed, wherein the front lower needle bed and the back lower needle bed are able to perform both knitting and loop transfer, and the front upper needle bed and the back upper needle bed are able to perform both knitting and loop transfer or are able to perform loop-transfer only.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the upper surface layer and the lower surface layer of the fabric further comprises meshes, and the meshes are formed by loop transfer by 1-8 stitches of a loop-transfer process of the computerized flat knitting machine when the fully-knitted single-sided stitches of the upper surface layer and the lower surface layer are knitted, such that size-variable mesh structures are formed under the condition that a large surface density of the fabric is guaranteed.

8. A seat cover comprising the flat-knitted three-dimensional fabric with an internal support structure according to claim 1 .

9. A shoe comprising the flat-knitted three-dimensional fabric with an internal support structure according to claim 1 .

10. A bag comprising the flat-knitted three-dimensional fabric with an internal support structure according to claim 1 .

11. A mattress comprising the flat-knitted three-dimensional fabric with an internal support structure according to claim 1 .

12. The flat-knitted three-dimensional fabric with an internal support structure according to claim 2 , wherein the support structure yarn in the middle of the fabric is a 50 D-1000 D polyester monofilament.

13. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the support structure yarn in the middle is tuck-knitted on the computerized flat knitting machine as follows: multiple layers of tuck loops with a same connecting distance are alternate-knitted between a front lower needle bed and a back lower needle bed.

14. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the upper surface layer and the lower surface layer of the fabric further comprises meshes, and the meshes are formed by loop transfer by 1-8 stitches of a loop-transfer process of the computerized flat knitting machine when the fully-knitted single-sided stitches of the upper surface layer and the lower surface layer are knitted, such that size-variable mesh structures are formed under the condition that a large surface density of the fabric is guaranteed.

15. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the single-sided stitches of the upper surface layer and the lower surface layer of the fabric are weft plain stitches knitted from the yarn, and the yarn of the upper surface layer and the lower surface layer is a same yarn and is fed by a common yarn guide.

Assignees

• Univ Jiangnan

Inventors

• Jiang Gaoming
• Gao Zhe
• Cong Honglian
• Wu Guangjun
• Tan Jiangtao
• Zhou Mengmeng

Classifications

• D04B1/104 Primary

  Openwork fabric, e.g. pelerine fabrics · CPC title

• D04B1/12

  characterised by thread material · CPC title

• D10B2331/04

  polyesters, e.g. polyethylene terephthalate [PET] · CPC title

• D10B2401/10

  porous · CPC title

• D10B2403/0213

  with apertures, e.g. with one or more mesh fabric plies · CPC title