Knitting machine with electronic auxiliary component

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018282915-A1
Application number	US-201815941577-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 30, 2018
Priority date	Mar 31, 2017
Publication date	Oct 4, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A knitting machine may include a needle bed and a carriage that is movable along the needle bed. The carriage may be configured to engage at least one feeder to move a dispensing area of the feeder along the needle bed while dispensing a yarn, where the carriage includes an interface for providing power to an auxiliary component.

First claim

1 . A knitting machine, the knitting machine comprising:
a needle bed; and a carriage that is movable along the needle bed, the carriage configured to engage at least one feeder to move a dispensing area of the feeder along the needle bed while dispensing a yarn, wherein the carriage includes an interface for providing power to an auxiliary component.

2 . The knitting machine of claim 1 , wherein the interface is a USP port.

3 . The knitting machine of claim 1 , wherein a cable extends from a power supply to the carriage to provide the power to the interface.

4 . The knitting machine of claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary component is configured to determine when a needle of the needle bed is damaged or broken and then send a feedback signal through the interface to a control system of the knitting machine indicate that the needle is damaged or broken.

5 . The knitting machine of claim 1 , wherein the interface is configured to receive a feedback signal from the auxiliary component such that the feedback signal is received by a control system.

6 . The knitting machine of claim 5 , wherein the knitting machine is configured to adjust a knitting sequence in response to the feedback signal received by the control system from the auxiliary component.

7 . The knitting machine of claim 5 , wherein the knitting machine is configured to terminate a knitting process in response to a feedback signal received by the control system from the auxiliary component.

8 . The knitting machine of claim 5 , wherein the auxiliary component is a light.

9 . The knitting machine of claim 5 , wherein the auxiliary component is a sensor configured to sense at least one environmental condition.

10 . The knitting machine of claim 9 , wherein the auxiliary component is a temperature sensor.

11 . A knitting machine, the knitting machine comprising:
a needle bed; and an auxiliary transport device, the auxiliary transport configured to move along a rail of the knitting machine such that an end of the auxiliary transport device moves along a needle bed, wherein the end of the auxiliary transport device includes at least one electronic auxiliary component.

12 . The knitting machine of claim 11 , wherein the auxiliary component includes a sensor configured to detect a needle of the needle bed.

13 . The knitting machine of claim 12 , wherein the auxiliary component is at least one of a laser and a camera.

14 . The knitting machine of claim 11 , wherein a control system of the knitting machine is electrically connected to the auxiliary component and configured to receive a feedback signal from the auxiliary component.

15 . The knitting machine of claim 11 , wherein the end of the auxiliary transport device includes at least two electronic auxiliary components.

16 . The knitting machine of claim 11 , wherein the end of the auxiliary transport device includes a first electronic auxiliary component that moves along a first needle bed of the knitting machine and a second electronic auxiliary component that moves along a second needle bed of the knitting machine.

17 . A method, comprising:
knitting a knitted component on a needle bed, wherein the knitting step includes moving a carriage along the needle bed, the carriage configured to engage at least one feeder to move a dispensing area of the feeder along the needle bed while dispensing a yarn, and wherein the carriage includes an interface for providing power to an auxiliary component.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the interface is a USP port.

19 . The method of claim 17 , wherein a cable extends from a power supply to the carriage to provide the power to the interface.

20 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the auxiliary component is configured to determine when a needle of the needle bed is damaged or broken and then send a feedback signal through the interface to a control system of the knitting machine indicate that the needle is damaged or broken.

Assignees

• Nike Inc

Inventors

• Dealey Stuart W
• Meir Adrian
• Singh Gagandeep

Classifications

• D04B35/18 Primary

  responsive to breakage, misplacement, or malfunctioning of knitting instruments · CPC title

• D04B15/70

  in flat-bed knitting machines · CPC title

• D04B15/665 Primary

  Driving-gear for programme or pattern devices · CPC title

• D04B35/00 Primary

  Details of, or auxiliary devices incorporated in, knitting machines, not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• D04B7/00

  Flat-bed knitting machines with independently-movable needles (straight-bar machines with fixed needles D04B11/00) · CPC title