Circular knitting machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016348287-A1
Application number	US-201515117389-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 18, 2015
Priority date	Feb 24, 2014
Publication date	Dec 1, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A circular knitting machine ( 1 ) for knitwear or hosiery, comprising a bearing structure, a needle-bearing organ ( 3 ) and a plurality of mobile needles (N) for producing a knitted fabric; a plurality of flanked stitch-forming slots ( 5 ) is defined in an external surface ( 4 ) of the needle-bearing organ ( 3 ), each of which slots movably houses a respective needle actuable with alternating motion along the relative stitch-forming slot. The needle-bearing organ is superiorly provided with a knit-forming plane (P) destined to restingly receive portions of knitting situated between two contiguous needles (N). The machine comprises, in the zones ( 15 ) comprised between two contiguous stitch-forming slots ( 5 ), retaining organs ( 10 ) of the knitting exhibiting each a respective portion defining a stop abutment ( 11 ) for the knitting; each retaining organ ( 10 ) of the knitting being mobile on command from a first tion, in which it does not interfere with the knitting being formed, to a second position, in which it inserts between two contiguous needles (N), in a zone which superiorly faces the knit-forming plane. In the zones comprised between the contiguous stitch-forming slots ( 5 ), the machine comprises lamellae ( 20 ) defining the knitting plane, each exhibiting a respective defining portion ( 21 ) of the knitting plane; each lamella ( 20 ) is removably mountable superiorly of the needle-bearing organ, so as to be coplanar with the corresponding retaining organ ( 10 ) located in the same zone ( 15 ), and in such a way that the respective knitting plane defining portion ( 21 ) defines a respective portion (Px) of the stitch-forming plane (P) of the needle-bearing organ ( 3 ) comprised between two contiguous stitch-forming slots ( 5 ).

First claim

1 . A circular knitting machine ( 1 ) for knitwear or hosiery, comprising:
a bearing structure; at least a needle-bearing organ ( 3 ) or needle cylinder rotatably mounted in the bearing structure; a plurality of needles (N) supported by the needle-bearing organ ( 3 ) and mobile so as to produce a knitted fabric; wherein a plurality of flanked stitch-forming slots ( 5 ) is defined in an external surface ( 4 ) of the needle-bearing organ ( 3 ), each of which slots being open at least at a respective upper end and configured for movably housing at least a portion of a respective needle (N) actuable with alternating motion along the stitch-forming slot ( 5 ) with an extracting motion, by means of which the needle is extracted with the tip thereof and with a portion of a stem thereof superiorly from the needle-bearing organ through the upper end of the relative stitch-forming slot in order to operate an unloading, on the stem thereof, of a knit loop previously formed and/or to operate a collecting of the thread or the threads dispensed at a thread feeder of the machine, and with a return motion, by means of which the needle is returned with the tip thereof into the relative stitch-forming slot so as to form a new knit loop, actuating the knock over of the knit loop previously formed in order to produce a knitting stitch, wherein the needle-bearing organ ( 3 ) is superiorly provided with a knit-forming plane (P) destined to restingly receive portions of knitting situated between two contiguous needles (N) while the needles, after having collected the thread at a thread feeder of the machine, return into the respective stitch-forming slots ( 5 ) of the needle-bearing organ in order to form a new knit loop and to knock over the previously-formed knit loop, the stitch-forming slots ( 5 ) being superiorly open on a side of the needle-bearing organ ( 3 ) where the knit-forming plane (P) is defined, the knitting machine ( 1 ) comprising, in at least a part of the zones ( 15 ) of the needle-bearing organ comprised between two contiguous stitch-forming slots ( 5 ), retaining organs ( 10 ) of the knitting exhibiting each a respective portion defining an abutment shoulder ( 11 ) for the knitting, each retaining organ ( 10 ) of the knitting being mobile on command from a first position, in which it does not interfere with the knitting being formed, to a second position, in which it inserts, with the portion defining the abutment shoulder ( 11 ), between two contiguous needles (N), in a zone which superiorly faces the knit-forming plane (P), so as to retain the portion of knitting extending between two contiguous needles, opposing the dragging of the knitting along the needles during the extracting motion of the needles, the knitting machine ( 1 ) comprising, for each of the retaining organs ( 10 ) of the knitting, respective actuating means for commanding passage thereof between the first position and the second position in a coordinated way with the actuating of the contiguous needles, the machine further comprising, at least in the zones ( 15 ) comprised between the contiguous stitch-forming slots ( 5 ) provided with the retaining organ ( 10 ), lamellae ( 20 ) defining the knitting plane each exhibiting a respective portion ( 21 ) defining the knitting plane, each lamella ( 20 ) being removably mountable to the needle-bearing organ ( 3 ), in such a way as to be positioned, in the zone ( 15 ) between two contiguous stitch-forming slots ( 5 ), substantially coplanarly to the corresponding retaining organ ( 10 ) located in the zone ( 15 ), and in such a way that the respective knitting plane defining portion ( 21 ) defines a respective portion (Px) of the stitch-forming plane (P) of the needle-bearing organ ( 3 ).

2 . The knitting machine ( 1 ) of claim 1 , wherein each retaining organ ( 10 ) is combined with a respective lamella ( 20 ) so as to form a retaining organ-lamella pair associated to a respective zone ( 15 ) of the needle-bearing organ ( 3 ) comprised between two adjacent stitch-forming slots ( 5 ), and/or wherein the retaining organ ( 10 ) and the lamella ( 20 ) have a thin plate conformation, and/or wherein the needle-bearing organ ( 3 ) comprises a plurality of stitch-forming slot half-planes (A) and a plurality of guide half-planes (B), distributed about the needle-bearing organ ( 3 ) and alternated with one another, in which each stitch-forming slot ( 5 ) and the respective needle (N) lie on a respective stitch-forming slot half-plane (A), and in which each zone ( 15 ) of the needle-bearing organ ( 3 ) comprised between two contiguous stitch-forming slots ( 5 ), the respective retaining organ ( 10 ) and the respective lamella ( 20 ) lie on a respective guide half-plane (B), and/or wherein the stitch-forming slot half-planes (A), and the guide half-planes (B) all pass through a rotation axis of the needle-bearing organ ( 3 ) and are distributed radially about the rotation axis of the needle-bearing organ.

3 . The knitting machine ( 1 ) of claim 1 , wherein each lamella ( 20 ) is provided with a holding portion ( 30 ), configured for being externally facing the external surface ( 4 ) of the needle-bearing organ ( 3 ) in a respective zone ( 15 ) between two adjacent stitch-forming slots ( 5 ), and/or wherein each retaining organ ( 10 ) is provided with a front side ( 13 ), facing towards the external surface ( 4 ) of the needle-bearing organ, and a rear side ( 14 ), destined to be operatively associated to the respective actuating means, and is positioned so that the front side ( 13 ) is facing the respective lamella ( 20 ), and the lamella ( 20 ) is radially interposed, at least with the holding portion ( 30 ) thereof, between the external surface ( 4 ) of the needle-bearing organ and the retaining organ ( 10 ), and/or wherein each retaining organ ( 10 ) comprises, at a front side thereof ( 13 ), a maintaining portion ( 16 ) laterally interposed between two contiguous stitch-forming slots ( 5 ) and configured for maintaining in position the respective lamella ( 20 ) mounted to the needle-bearing organ, preventing the lamella from translating, in particular radially, distancingly from the needle-bearing organ and thus being able to decouple therefrom, and/or wherein the maintaining portion ( 16 ) is positioned substantially in contact with the respective lamella ( 20 ) mounted to the needle-bearing organ ( 3 ) or at a distance from the lamella, mounted to the needle-bearing organ, such as to interfere with a movement of the lamella distancingly from the needle-bearing organ, both when the retaining organ ( 10 ) is in the first position, and when it is in the second position, and during passage between the first and the second position.

4 . The knitting machine ( 1 ) of claim 1 , wherein each of the lamellae ( 20 ) defining the knitting plane exhibits a respective mounting portion ( 40 ), configured for and predisposed to enabling single and removable mounting of the lamella ( 20 ) to the needle-bearing organ ( 3 ), and/or wherein the knitting plane defining portion ( 21 ) is interposed between and connects the mounting portion ( 40 ) and the holding portion ( 30 ), and/or wherein the knit-forming plane (P) and the needle-bearing organ ( 3 ) is exclusively defined by the knitting plane defining portions ( 21 ) of the lamellae ( 20 ), and/or wherein the mounting portion ( 40 ) has a hook conformation, and is configured for enabling mounting the lamella to the needle-bearing organ by means of a mechanical engagement, and/or wherein the mounting portion ( 40 ) of the lamella ( 20 ) terminates with a mounting end ( 41 ) configured for being at least partially complementarily-shaped to a mounting seating ( 51 ) of the needle-bearing organ ( 3 ), wherein the inserting of the mounting end ( 41 ) in the mounting seating ( 51 ) prevents distancing of the lamella ( 20 ) from the ne

Assignees

• Santoni & C Spa

Inventors

• Lonati Ettore
• Lonati Fausto

Classifications

• D04B9/46 Primary

  stockings, or portions thereof · CPC title

• D04B15/14 Primary

  Needle cylinders · CPC title

• D04B1/26

  stockings · CPC title

• D04B15/06

  Sinkers · CPC title

• D04B15/10

  Needle beds · CPC title