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

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9689095-B2
Application number	US-201414892500-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 comprising a body ( 2 ) of the device provided with at least a first housing seating ( 4 a ) having a longitudinal development and configured to movably house at least a first actuator ( 5 a ) in the body. The device further comprises at least a first command cam ( 8 a ) movably mounted and associated to the body 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 and destined to move in a controlled way the first command cam ( 8 a ). The first actuator comprises a first piston ( 15 a ) and a second piston ( 16 a ) distinct from one another and translatably housed in the first seating, the first and second piston being arranged in series along the longitudinal extension of the first seating and being translatable independently with respect to one another. The body ( 2 ) of the device is one and one alone, and is made in a single piece.

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 comprising:
a body ( 2 ) of the device provided with at least a first housing seating ( 4 a ) having a longitudinal extension and configured to movably house at least a first actuator ( 5 a ) in the body;
at least a first command cam ( 8 a ) movably mounted and connected to the body 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 said first housing seating ( 4 a ) in the body and configured to move in a controlled way said first command cam ( 8 a ), wherein the first actuator comprises a first piston ( 15 a ) and a second piston ( 16 a ) distinct from one another and translatably housed in the first seating, the first and second piston being arranged in series along said longitudinal extension of the first seating and being translatable independently with respect to one another,
the body ( 2 ) of the device being one and only one, and being made in a single piece.

2. The device ( 1 ) of claim 1 , wherein the first seating ( 4 a ) is provided with a first bottom end ( 11 ), open on a rear side ( 41 ) of the body ( 2 ), and with a second head end ( 12 ), opposite the bottom end and open on a front side ( 42 ) of the body ( 2 ), configured to be facing towards the needles of the knitting machine, the bottom end enabling insertion in succession of the second piston ( 16 a ) and first piston ( 15 a ) and the head end enabling at least partial insertion of an engaging portion ( 81 a ) of the first command cam, such that the engaging portion is connectable to the second piston ( 16 a ) and an operating portion ( 82 a ) of the first cam ( 8 a ) exits from the first seating ( 4 a ), on the front end ( 42 ) of the body, such as to cooperate with one or more needles of the needle bed of the knitting machine.

3. The device ( 1 ) of claim 1 , wherein the first piston ( 15 a ) is selectively translatable in the first seating at least between a first position, in which it is retracted in the seating in correspondence of the bottom end ( 11 ), and a second position in which it is advanced in the first seating towards the head end ( 12 ), and wherein the second piston ( 16 a ) is housed in the first seating downstream of the first piston with respect to the longitudinal extension of the first seating from the bottom end to the head end, the second piston ( 16 a ) being selectively translatable in the first seating at least between a respective first position in which it is retracted in the seating and headed abuttingly on a head surface of the first piston ( 15 a ), and a respective second position in which it is advanced in the first seating with respect to the head surface of the first piston towards the head end.

4. The device ( 1 ) of claim 1 , wherein the first seating ( 4 a ) exhibits a non-decreasing section from the head end ( 12 ) to the bottom end ( 11 ).

5. The device ( 1 ) of claim 1 , wherein the first piston ( 15 a ) comprises a rear portion ( 24 a ) and a front portion ( 25 a ) solidly constrained to one another and developing in series along a longitudinal axis of the first piston, the front portion ( 25 a ) being downstream of the rear portion ( 24 a ) when the piston is inserted in the seating, the rear portion receiving a thrust from a compressed air flow which supplies the first piston, and the front portion ( 25 a ) axially transmitting the thrust downstream of the piston, and wherein the first piston ( 15 a ) is inserted in the first seating ( 4 a ) in such a way that the longitudinal axis thereof is coaxial with the longitudinal extension of the seating.

6. The device ( 1 ) of claim 1 , wherein the second piston ( 16 a ) comprises a respective rear portion ( 26 a ) and a respective front portion ( 27 a ) solidly constrained to one another and extending in series along a longitudinal axis of the second piston, the front portion ( 27 a ) being downstream of the rear portion ( 26 a ) when the second piston is inserted in the first seating, the rear portion ( 26 a ) receiving a respective push from a respective compressed air flow supplying the second piston and the front portion ( 27 a ) axially transmitting the push downstream of the second piston, and wherein the second piston ( 16 a ) is inserted in the first seating such that the longitudinal axis thereof is coaxial with the longitudinal extension of the seating.

7. The device ( 1 ) of claim 1 , wherein the first piston ( 15 a ) comprises a first seal ( 111 ) wound about the rear portion ( 24 a ) such as to be interposed between it and the first section ( 101 ) of the seating ( 4 a ) and to realise an air seal between the first piston and the first section of the seating both statically and during the translation of the piston.

8. The device ( 1 ) of claim 1 , wherein the first actuator ( 5 a ) is configured such as to selectively operate at least among following operating configurations:
a retracted configuration, in which 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 piston is in the respective second position and the second piston is 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 piston is in the respective second position and the engaging portion of the first cam is completely advanced in the first seating, while the first piston can be in the respective first position or in the respective second position.

9. The device of claim 1 , further comprising 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 in a controlled way a second command cam ( 8 b ) in turn configured to interact with at least a needle of a needle bed of a knitting machine, the second actuator comprising a respective first piston and a respective second piston having same characteristics as described in relation to the first actuator.

10. A method for realising a mobile cam device ( 1 ) for commanding needles of a needle bed of a knitting machine, the method comprising steps of:
predisposing a body ( 2 ) of the device provided with at least a first housing seating ( 4 a ) having a longitudinal extension and configured such as to movably house at least a first actuator ( 5 a ) in the body, the first seating ( 4 a ) being provided with a first bottom end ( 11 ), open on a rear side ( 41 ) of the body ( 2 ), and a second head end ( 12 ), opposite the bottom end and open on a front side ( 42 ) of the body ( 2 ), configured to be facing towards the needles of the knitting machine;
predisposing at least a first command cam ( 8 a ) configured to interact with at least a needle of a needle bed of a knitting machine;
predisposing a first actuator ( 5 a ) comprising a first piston ( 15 a ) and a second piston ( 16 a ) and configured to move in a controlled way the first command cam ( 8 a );
inserting the second piston ( 16 a ) from the bottom end ( 11 ) of the first seating, such that the second piston ( 16 a ) is housed translatably in the seating;
at least partially inserting, in the head end ( 12 ) of the seating, an engaging portion ( 81 a ) of the first command cam ( 8 a ), and mounting the engaging portion to the second piston ( 16 a

Assignees

• Santoni & C Spa

Inventors

• Lonati Tiberio
• Lonati Ettore
• Lonati Fausto

Classifications

• D04B15/82

  characterised by the needle cams used · CPC title

• D04B15/32

  Cam systems or assemblies for operating knitting instruments · CPC title

• D04B15/78 Primary

  Electrical devices · CPC title

• D04B15/94

  Driving-gear not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• D04B15/68 Primary

  characterised by the knitting instruments used · CPC title