GB2133049A

GB2133049A - Knitted article tensioning and everting apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2133049A
Application number: GB08332821A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Vinicio Gazzarrini
Original assignee: Solis SRL
Current assignee: Solis SRL
Priority date: 1982-12-30
Filing date: 1983-12-08
Publication date: 1984-07-18
Also published as: GB8332821D0; IT1192944B; IT8209587A0; FR2538819A1; DE3347647A1; FR2538819B3

Abstract

The apparatus comprises a rotating pipe 16 for overturning the manufactured article and a pneumatic tensioning conduit 14 surrounding said pipe and defining with it a hollow space of annular section for tensioning pneumatically by means of suction the manufactured article while this is being formed,while a suction in the inner pipe occurring when the manufactured article leaves the needles makes the manufactured article overturn during its travel from the hollow space to the inner pipe; the outer pipe is engaged to the cylinder and entrains the inner pipe to cause its rotation.

Description

SPECIFICATION Sock tensioning and inverting apparatus The invention refers to an improved apparatus to be mounted on circular knitting machines for socks and the like,fortensioning and overturning the manufactured article. Such apparatuses include a rotating pipe for overturning the manufactured article and a pneumatic tensioning conduit surrounding said pipe and defining with it a hollow space of annular section fortensioning pneumatically by means of suction of manufactured article while this is being formed; a suction in the inner pipe, occurring when the manufactured article leaves the needles, makes the manufactured article overturn during its travel from the hollow space to the inner pipe.According to the invention, the outer pipe is engaged to the cylinder and drags the inner pipe to cause its rotation.

In practice, the outer pipe can be engaged by means of screws with their axes inclined along radial planes, the screws being engaged intheannulargrooveofthe cylinder small crown.

The outer pipe can drive a rotating unitforming a basket and bearing and dragging the inner pipe. In this case, said unit is connected axially to a shell which is pivotally mounted and rotarily engaged to the outer pipe; further, said unit is mounted on a piston member, which is urged upward by resilient means to engage the shell and can be lowered dueto the depression produced inthe innerpipeforthe over- turning stage of the manufactured article.

Advantageously, toward the inside and at a distance from its lower edge, the outer pipe can have a depression, in which case the shell will then have a resilient tooth adapted to engage said depression with the insertion ofthe outer pipe, to enablethe rotary connection between said outer pipe and the shell.

The drawing shows a schematic unlimitative example ofthe invention.

Fig. 1 shows an overall view in an axial section; Fig. 2 shows a magnified detail of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 shows a magnified central zone.

According tothe accompanying drawing, 1 generally denotes the needle cylinder, which is provided with the small crown 3 and born bythe cylinder holder5.

The strucure of the so-called "bats" located beneath the cylinder, is designated with 7. A stationary cylindrical strucure 9 is combined to the bati and extends with a bell portion 10 connected in its lower parttothe pneumatic conduit 12for moving awaythe manufactured article, with a tapered sleeve 13. A rotating unitwith two cylindrical walls, that is, two coaxial pipes-an outer pipe 14and an inner pipe 16 - is received inside the cylinder and the structure 9.

Thewalt 14 enters a shell 18 which is mounted on a ring nut associated to the structure 9 by means of at least a bearing 20. Belowthe lower edge 14A of the cylindrical wall 14, the shell 18 is provided with a numberof apertures 22 disposed along acircumfer- ence; these apertures are in registry with an annular manifold 24formed in the structure 9; atthe time of overturning,this manifold receives pressing air through a connecting tube 26.The manifold 24 is diaphragmedbyawall provided with bores 30 inclined upward which originate from the manifold 24 and lead in registry with the apertures 22 to form nozzles capable of blowing upward in the hollow space between the walls 14 and 16.

Thetubularcylindricalwall 14 has in its upper part a funnel opening matching with the small crown 3; the cylindrical wall 14 is engaged to said small crown, and therefore to the cylinder, by means of headless screws 42 arranged with an inclined axis on outer blocks 44 of the wall 14, the screws 42 being received in the inner groove conventionally formed by the small crown 3. In this way the cylindrical wall 14 can be easily mounted on and removed from any cylinder for reasons of maintenance or replacement operations.The shell 18, which rotates coaxially and below the cylinder, is dragged and caused to rotate by the same cylindrical wall 14thanks to a resilient tooth 46 connected to the shell 18 and urged towardthe insidethereofthrough a suitable opening; said tooth 46 can engage a depression 14B formed in the wall 14 at a distance from the edge 14A-which keeps its circularity-as said depression 14B is suitably connected. Thus, by engaging the cylindrical wall 14to and disengaging it from the shell 18, it is possible to connect and release from each otherthe wall 14and the shell 18.

In the structure 9, belowthe length thereofwhere the shell 18 is received, there is mounted a unit rotating coaxiallyto the cylinder and the walls 14 and 16. This unit includes a perforated basket 50, which is mounted on a tubular element 52 supported by bearings 54,56 on an annular piece 58 of particular shape, which can slide in the lower part ofthe bell portion 10; said piece 58 is urged upward by means of a few springs 60 which react on the tapered sleeve 13, the piece 58 forming a pistontogetherwith the bell portion 10.The piston-forming piece 58 separates the bell-shaped lower portion 10, which is connected to the suction conduit 12, from the part of the structure 9 where there is the basket 50 and from which a suction tube 9Aoriginates. The depression fortensioning the manufactured article is achieved by means of suction through a conduit 62, acting through the basket 50 in the interspace between the cylindrical walls 14 and 16.

The inner cylindrical wall 16 includes at its lowerend a conical ring 64, through which the pipe 1 6forming the inner cylindrical wall can engage and rest on the tubular element 52 to be dragged by the latter. The upper edge of the basket 50 can have a coupling profile, for example cone- or key-shaped, as denoted with 66, to be anchored angularly with the shell 18, for a simultaneous rotation with said shell and therefore with the cylindrical wall 14 and the cylinder 1.

The operation of the apparatus is the following.

Under normal running conditionsforthe production of the tubular manufactured article, the manufactured article being produced is drawn by a flow of sucking air intothe annular interspace between thewalls 14 and 16, th rough the perforated wall of the basket 50, the connecting tube 9A and the conduit 62. The suction inside the cylindrical wall 16 through the conduit 12, serves for the pneumatictransportation and is briefly activated when the ma nufactu red article is moved away in order to be overturned and transported pneumatically.When the needles leave the manufactured article, the suction flow th rough the inside ofthe cylindrical wall 16 and the conduit 12 is determined; thus the latest produced edge ofthe manufactured article is drawn within the upper wedge ofthe cylindrical wall 16, so that the inside of the wall 1 tends to be partially obstructed; the presence ofthe great depression in the recess of the bell 10 below the piston piece 58 and the partial obstruction inside the wall 16 generaliy cause the unit 58,52,50 and therefore the cylindrical wall 16 to lower of a certain measure.This movement assists the initial introduction ofthe manufactured acticle in the inside ofthe wall 16 due to the lowering ofthe upper edge thereof and the increased distance between the collar located above the needlecylinderand said edge. Thusthe overturning ofthe manufactured article is carried out by means of introflexion ofthe manufactured article from the hollow space between the walls 14 and 1 6to the inside ofthe wall 16. This operation is facilitated either by the temporary interruption of suction from the conduit 62 and the connected tube 9A or bythe assistance of pressing air flows from the connected tube 26 and the manifold 24through the bores 30 inclined upward and the apertures 22.After overturn ing and moving awaythe manufactured article through thetubular passage defined by the wall 16 and the conduit 12, suction is started again through the conduit 62 and the basket 50 to draw and tension the article in the hollow space between the walls 14 and 16 until it is held in the basket 50, while suction from the conduit 12 ceases and the springs 60 bring upward again the piston piece 58 and thus the unit 52, 50; this unit, which was released from the lower edge ofthe shell 18, is again connected to it and resumes rotation.

Itshould be noted that during the overturning the upward movement of the manufactured article in the hollow space between the walls 14 and 16 is absolutely unhampered bythe edge 14A, which is in the form of a circumference and defilated within a step formed bytheshell 18, sincethe depression 18Ais remote frown said edge 14A.

The apparatus is particularly suitableforthe production of knitted tubular manufactured articles of remarkable length. Parts ofthe apparatus can be easily removed when one does not wish to operate the same apparatus.

The drawing shows only an example ofthe invention, which can vary in the forms and arrangements.

Claims

1. Apneumaticapparatusfortensioning and overturning socks orthe like, including a rotating pipe forthe overturning operation and a pneumatic ten sioning conduit surrounding said pipe and defining with it a hollow space of annular section for tensioning pneumatically by means of suction the manufactured article while this is being formed, while a suction in the inner pipe occurring when the manufactured article leaves the needles causes the manufactured article to overturn during its travel from the hollow space to the inner pipe, characterized in thatthe outer pipe is engaged to the cylinder and drags the inner pipe to cause its rotation.

2. An apparatus as in claim 1, characterized in that the outer pipe is engaged by means of screws with inclined axes along radial planes, said screws being engaged in the annular groove of the cylinder small crown.

3. An apparatus as in claim 1 or2, characterized in thatthe outer pipe operates a rotating unitforminga basket and bearing and dragging the inner pipe.

4. An apparatus as in claim 3,characterized in that said unit is coupled axiallyto a shell which is mounted to rotate and engaged rotarily to the outer pipe, and furtherthat said unit is mounted on a piston member urged upwards by resilient means to engagethe shell and can be lowered due to the depression created in the inner pipe by the overturning phaseofthe manufactured article.

5. An apparatus as in the preceding claims, characterized in that the outer pipe has a depression toward the inside at a distance from its lower edge, and thatthe shell hasaresilienttoothadaptedto engage said depression with the insertion of the outer pipe, for enabling the rotary coupling between said outer pipe and the shell.

6. Apneumaticapparatusfortensioning and overturning socks and the like, associated to the circular machinefortheir production,thewhole as described above and represented as an example in the accompanying drawing.