Support and control device for circular knitting machines

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12359353-B2
Application number	US-202017442020-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 9, 2020
Priority date	Apr 12, 2019
Publication date	Jul 15, 2025
Grant date	Jul 15, 2025

Abstract

A support and control device to be mounted in a circular knitting machine provided with a supporting structure, a rotating component-holding unit, and a plurality of stitch formation components, includes a support body provided with a mounting portion having a front side and a rear side. The front side faces the component-holding unit and is provided with at least one cam defining a guiding path which interacts with respective butts of the stitch formation components. The device includes at least one through opening between the front side and the rear side, open on the guiding path, which defines an empty space placing the guiding path of the cam in direct communication with an outside of the device, so that the respective butts of the stitch formation components are facing, and in direct communication with, the empty space.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A support and control device ( 1 ) for circular knitting machines, configured to be mounted in a circular knitting machine, wherein the circular knitting machine comprises at least one supporting structure, with at least one component-holding unit rotating around a central axis of rotation (X), and a plurality of stitch formation components ( 2 ) movably associated with the at least one component-holding unit,
the device ( 1 ) comprising at least one support body ( 6 ) provided with:
a mounting portion ( 50 ) configured for allowing the device to be mounted to the at least one supporting structure of the circular knitting machine;
a front side ( 10 ) configured to face said at least one component-holding unit of the knitting machine and provided with at least one cam ( 11 ) for controlling at least a part of said plurality of stitch formation components ( 2 ), said at least one cam ( 11 ) defining a guiding path ( 12 ) configured for interacting with respective butts ( 3 ) of the stitch formation components ( 2 ) for controlling each of the stitch formation components ( 2 ) of said at least a part of said plurality of stitch formation components;
a rear side ( 20 ), opposed to said front side ( 10 ) and configured to face an outside of the knitting machine, away from said at least one component-holding unit;

wherein the device ( 1 ) comprises at least one through opening ( 30 ) between said front side ( 10 ) and said rear side ( 20 ), open on at least one portion of said guiding path ( 12 ), said at least one through opening ( 30 ) defining an empty space ( 31 ) placing at least a portion of said guiding path ( 12 ) of said at least one cam ( 11 ) in direct communication with an outside of the device, at least in an operating configuration of the device, so that the respective butts ( 3 ) of the stitch formation components ( 2 ), interacting with the at least one cam ( 11 ), face and are in direct communication with said empty space ( 31 ),
wherein the at least one support body ( 6 ) of the device has a thickness, calculated as a dimension in a direction from the front side ( 10 ) to the rear side ( 20 ), and wherein the device comprises a first side face ( 40 ) and a second side face ( 41 ), which are transversal to and structurally connect said front side ( 10 ) and said rear side ( 20 ),
wherein said at least one cam ( 11 ) is defined on a cam body ( 70 ) removably mountable to the at least one support body ( 6 ) of the device, so that the guiding path ( 12 ) is defined on said front side ( 10 ), and wherein said cam body ( 70 ) comprises a front portion ( 71 ) on which said guiding path ( 12 ) is defined, and a fastening portion ( 72 ) placed laterally to said front portion ( 71 ) and provided with fastening members, the fastening members comprising at least one hole ( 74 ) in the fastening portion ( 72 ) and at least one fastening screw ( 75 ) for fastening the cam body ( 70 ) to one of the first side face ( 40 ) and the second side face ( 41 ) of the at least one support body ( 6 ) of the device,
wherein the at least one support body ( 6 ) of the device is provided with members ( 52 ) for a removable fastening of the cam body ( 70 ) to the at least one support body ( 6 ), comprising at least one fastening hole ( 54 ),
wherein the at least one hole ( 74 ) of the cam body ( 70 ) and the at least one fastening hole ( 54 ) of the at least one support body ( 6 ) are aligned along a mounting axis, said mounting axis being orthogonal to a vertical axis, the vertical axis being parallel to the central axis of rotation (X).

2. The device ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein said empty space ( 31 ) is a space between said front side ( 10 ) and said rear side ( 20 ), free from a material which the at least one support body ( 6 ) of the device is made of,
and/or wherein said guiding path ( 12 ) of the at least one cam ( 11 ) acts in sequence ( 3 ) upon the butts of the stitch formation components ( 2 ) interacting, in sequence and by means of the rotation of the component holding unit, with said at least one cam ( 11 ) of the device,
and/or wherein said at least one through opening ( 30 ) is open both on the front side ( 10 ) and on the rear side ( 20 ),
and/or wherein said at least one through opening ( 30 ) is configured for allowing lint, filaments and powder heaped up or generated on said front side ( 10 ) to be pushed out from said rear side ( 20 ).

3. The device ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein said mounting portion ( 50 ) is not placed on the device ( 1 ) on said front side ( 10 ),
and/or wherein said front side ( 10 ) is without undercuts or holes or hollow surfaces configured to face said at least one component-holding unit, except said at least one through opening ( 30 ).

4. The device ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the first side face ( 40 ) and the second side face ( 41 ) are arranged on opposite sides with respect to said at least one cam ( 11 )
and/or wherein the first side face ( 40 ) and the second side face ( 41 ) develop at least partially on opposite sides with respect to said at least one through opening ( 30 ).

5. The device ( 1 ) according to claim 4 , wherein the at least one support body ( 6 ) of the device has a length, calculated as a dimension in a concordant or parallel direction to an extension of said first side face and second side face, and wherein said at least one through opening ( 30 ) has a given area, on a section taken on a parallel or concordant plane to said front side ( 10 ) and/or said rear side ( 20 ), i.e. on a section taken on said thickness of the at least one support body ( 6 ) of the device, comprised in said length,
and/or wherein said at least one through opening ( 30 ) is configured so that the butts ( 3 ) of the stitch formation components ( 2 ) interacting with the at least one cam ( 11 ) protrude from said guiding path ( 12 ) into said empty space ( 31 ).

6. The device ( 1 ) according to claim 5 , wherein said given area of the at least one through opening ( 30 ) has such an extension and a shape as to simultaneously involve and be simultaneously in communication with a plurality of butts ( 3 ) of stitch formation components ( 2 ) interacting in sequence with the guiding path ( 12 ) of the at least one cam ( 11 ), so that said plurality of butts ( 3 ) are simultaneously in direct communication with said empty space ( 31 ) defined by the at least one through opening ( 30 ), and wherein said plurality of butts ( 3 ) being simultaneously in direct communication with said empty space ( 31 ) comprises at least 5 or at least 10 or at least 20 or at least 50 butts,
and/or wherein the front side ( 10 ) of the device comprises a plurality of cams ( 11 ) for controlling said plurality of stitch formation components ( 2 ), each of the plurality of cams ( 11 ) defining a respective guiding path ( 12 ) configured for interacting with the butts ( 3 ) controlling one or more of said stitch formation components ( 2 ).

7. The device ( 1 ) according to claim 5 , wherein a portion of the at least one support body ( 6 ) of the device involved by said at least one through opening ( 30 ) and by that empty space ( 31 ) is larger than a portion of the at least one support body ( 6 ) of the device without any through opening,
and/or wherein said given area of the at least one through opening ( 30 ) has such an extension and a shape as to simultaneously involve and be simultaneously in communication with a number of butts ( 3 ) of stitch formation components ( 2 ) that is larger than the number of butts ( 3 ) interacting with the guiding path ( 12 ) of the at least one cam ( 11 ) but not in direct communication with the empty space ( 31 ) defined by the at least one through opening ( 30 ).

Assignees

• Santoni & C Spa

Inventors

• Andreoli Marco
• Rizzi Stefano

Classifications

• D04B35/32

  Devices for removing lint or fluff · CPC title

• D04B15/34 Primary

  for dials · CPC title

• D04B15/32 Primary

  Cam systems or assemblies for operating knitting instruments · CPC title

• D04B15/322 Primary

  in circular knitting machines with needle cylinder and dial (cam systems specially provided for dials D04B15/34) · CPC title

• D04B9/02 Primary

  with one set of needles · CPC title