Mobile cam device for commanding needles of a needle bed of a knitting machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9689094-B2
Application number	US-201414892484-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 15, 2014
Priority date	May 20, 2013
Publication date	Jun 27, 2017
Grant date	Jun 27, 2017

Abstract

A mobile cam device ( 1 ) for commanding needles of a needle bed of a knitting machine, the device ( 1 ) comprising: at least a body ( 2 ) having at least an air inlet ( 3 ) destined to be connected to a source of compressed air, at least a first housing seating ( 4 a ) for movably housing at least a first actuator ( 5 a ) in the body ( 2 ), and having at least a first air pathway ( 6 a ) defined internally of the body ( 2 ) and connecting the at least an air inlet ( 3 ) with the first seating ( 4 a ) for moving the actuator by means of the compressed air, the device further comprises at least a first command cam ( 8 a ) movably mounted and associated to the body ( 2 ) and destined to interact with at least a needle of a needle bed of a knitting machine, and at least a first actuator ( 5 a ), movably housed at least partially in the first housing seating ( 4 a ) in the body ( 2 ) and destined to move in a controlled way the first command cam ( 8 a ). The device further comprises at least a first solenoid valve ( 9 a ) mounted and connected directly to the body ( 2 ) of the device and active directly at least on the first air pathway ( 6 a ), the first solenoid valve being configured and predisposed to selectively enable or prevent passage of air in the first air pathway ( 6 a ) such as to selectively activate the first actuator.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A mobile cam device ( 1 ) for commanding needles of a needle bed of a knitting machine, the device ( 1 ) comprising:
at least a body ( 2 ) having at least an air inlet ( 3 ) configured to be connected to a source of compressed air, at least a first housing seating ( 4 a ) for movably housing at least a first actuator ( 5 a ) in the body, and having at least a first air pathway ( 6 a ) defined internally of the body ( 2 ) and connecting said at least an air inlet ( 3 ) with the first seating ( 4 a ) for moving the actuator by means of said compressed air;
at least a first command cam ( 8 a ) movably mounted and connected to the body ( 2 ) and configured to interact with at least a needle of a needle bed of a knitting machine;
at least a first actuator ( 5 a ), movably housed at least partially in the first housing seating ( 4 a ) in the body ( 2 ) and configured to move in a controlled way said first command cam ( 8 a ); and
at least a first solenoid valve ( 9 a ) mounted and connected directly to said body ( 2 ) of the device and active directly at least on said first air pathway ( 6 a ), the first solenoid valve being configured and predisposed to selectively enable or prevent air passage in the first air pathway ( 6 a ) in order to selectively activate the first actuator,

wherein the body ( 2 ) comprises a front side ( 42 ) configured to be facing toward the needles of the knitting machine, and a rear side ( 41 ), opposite the front side ( 42 ), said at least a first solenoid valve ( 9 a ) being positioned on said rear side ( 41 ).

2. The device ( 1 ) of claim 1 , wherein the first seating ( 4 a ) is provided with a first bottom end ( 11 ) connected to the first air pathway ( 6 a ) and with a second head end ( 12 ), opposite to said bottom end, in which an engaging portion ( 81 a ) of a first command cam ( 8 a ) is partially insertable, or in correspondence of which an engaging portion ( 81 a ) of a first command cam ( 8 a ) is associable to the actuator ( 5 a ), such that an operating portion ( 82 a ) of the cam exits from the first seating ( 4 a ) and from the body ( 2 ) in order to cooperate with one or more needles of a needle bed of a knitting machine.

3. The device ( 1 ) of claim 1 , wherein the body ( 2 ) comprises a second air pathway ( 7 a ), defined internally of the body and connecting the at least an air inlet ( 3 ) or a further air inlet with the first seating ( 4 a ) in a point downstream of the first piston ( 15 a ), and a second solenoid valve ( 10 a ) mounted and connected directly to the body ( 2 ) and acting directly on the second air pathway ( 7 a ), the second solenoid valve ( 10 a ) being configured and predisposed to selectively enable or prevent passage of air into the second air pathway.

4. The device ( 1 ) of claim 1 , wherein the first actuator ( 5 a ) is configured to operate selectively at least among following operating configurations:
a retracted configuration, in which the first ( 9 a ) and the second solenoid valve ( 10 a ) close the air passage respectively in the first ( 6 a ) and the second air pathway ( 7 a ), and the first ( 15 a ) and the second piston ( 16 a ) are both in the respective first position, the engaging portion ( 81 a ) of the first cam ( 8 a ) being retracted in the first seating ( 4 a );
an intermediate configuration, in which the first solenoid valve enables passage of air in the first air pathway, and the second solenoid valve prevents air passage into the second air pathway, the first piston being in the respective second position and the second piston being in the respective first position, the engaging portion of the first cam being partially advanced in the first seating;
an advanced configuration, in which the second solenoid valve enables passage of air into the second air pathway, the second piston being in the respective second position and the engaging portion of the first cam being completely advanced in the first seating, while the first solenoid valve can enable or prevent passage of air into the first air pathway, the first piston being in the respective first position or in the respective second position.

5. The device ( 1 ) of claim 1 , wherein the body ( 2 ) internally comprises at least a first air discharge organ ( 30 ), or rapid discharge, interposed in series along at least the first air pathway ( 6 a ) and realizing a portion of the air pathway, the air discharge organ ( 30 ) being configured and predisposed to enable passage of an air flow from upstream to downstream of the organ along the first air pathway towards the first actuator ( 5 a ), and to intercept and discharge towards outside of the organ, i.e. outside the first air pathway, an air flow directed from downstream to upstream of the discharge organ from the actuator along the first air pathway.

6. The device ( 1 ) of claim 5 , wherein the discharge organ ( 30 ) comprises a body ( 31 ) provided with a rear portion ( 32 ), a front portion ( 33 ) and an intermediate portion ( 34 ), interposed between and connecting the rear and front portions, in which the rear portion is connectable to the side of the first air pathway communicating with the air inlet ( 3 ) and the front portion is connectable to the side of the air pathway communicating with the actuator ( 5 a ).

7. The device ( 1 ) of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second command cam ( 8 b ) movably mounted and connected to the body ( 2 ) and configured to interact with at least a needle of the needle bed of the knitting machine;
a second actuator ( 5 b ), movably housed at least partially in a second housing seating ( 4 b ), the second actuator ( 5 b ) being configured to move the second command cam ( 8 b ) in a controlled way;
a respective first air pathway ( 6 b ) defined internally of the body ( 2 ) and connecting the at least an air inlet ( 3 ) or a further air inlet with the second actuator ( 5 b ) in order to move the second actuator ( 5 b ) by means of compressed air;
a respective first solenoid valve ( 9 b ) of the second actuator ( 5 b ) mounted and connected directly to the body ( 2 ) of the device and directly acting on the respective first air pathway ( 6 b ) of the second actuator ( 5 b ), the respective first solenoid valve ( 9 b ) of the second actuator ( 5 b ) being configured and predisposed to selectively enable or prevent air passage in the respective first air pathway ( 6 b ) in order to selectively activate the second actuator ( 5 b ).

8. The device ( 1 ) of claim 1 , comprising a third command cam ( 8 c ) configured to interact with at least a needle of the knitting machine, a third actuator ( 5 c ), housed in a third seating ( 4 c ) of the body ( 2 ), a respective first air pathway ( 6 c ), a respective first solenoid valve ( 9 c ), a respective first piston ( 15 c ), and/or comprises a respective second air pathway ( 7 c ), a respective second solenoid valve ( 10 c ) and a respective second piston ( 16 c ), the third actuator ( 5 c ) moving the third command cam ( 8 c ) in a controlled way, and/or wherein the device comprises a fourth command cam ( 8 d ) configured to interact with at least a needle of the knitting machine, a fourth actuator ( 5 d ), housed in a fourth seating ( 4 d ) of the body, a respective first air pathway ( 6 d ), a respective first solenoid valve ( 9 d ), a respective first piston ( 15 d ), and/or comprises a respective second air pathway ( 7 d ), a respective second solenoid valve ( 10 d ) and a respective second piston ( 16 d ), the fourth actuator ( 5 d ) moving the fourth command cam ( 8 d ) in a controlled way, and/or wherein the elem

Assignees

• Santoni & C Spa

Inventors

• Lonati Tiberio
• Lonati Ettore
• Lonati Fausto

Classifications

• D04B15/68 Primary

  characterised by the knitting instruments used · CPC title

• D04B15/08 Primary

  Needle latch openers; Brushes · CPC title

• D04B15/32

  Cam systems or assemblies for operating knitting instruments · CPC title

• D04B15/82

  characterised by the needle cams used · CPC title