Circular Knitting Machine Offset Device for Needle Plate Synchronization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing circular knitting machines face issues with precise and synchronous rotation of the needle-holding plate with respect to the needle-holding cylinder, leading to wear, noise, and imprecise transmission, particularly when switching between configurations, resulting in suboptimal knitwear quality and increased complexity.
Innovation Solution
A circular knitting machine featuring a motion transmission chain with an offset device comprising an inlet gear and an outlet gear, both with non-linear teeth, allowing for controlled axial movement between specific positions to maintain synchronous rotation and precise angular offset of the needle-holding plate with respect to the needle-holding cylinder, ensuring continuous and accurate transmission of rotary motion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the needle-holding plate rotates synchronously with the needle-holding cylinder, then the transmission precision is improved, but the device complexity increases due to the need for complex transmission mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
An intermediary offset device is introduced between the first and second toothed wheels. This offset device includes an inlet gear engaged with the first toothed wheel and an outlet gear engaged with the second toothed wheel, allowing controlled axial movement to maintain synchronous rotation while simplifying the overall transmission structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The offset device is made movable along the axis of the needle-holding plate, allowing dynamic adjustment of the engagement between gears. This dynamic capability enables the system to maintain precise synchronous rotation while reducing complexity through flexible positioning rather than rigid fixed connections.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the needle-holding plate is offset with respect to the needle-holding cylinder, then the adaptability is improved, but the wear and noise increase due to imprecise transmission
Solution Approach 1:
The offset device acts as an intermediary that enables controlled offset positioning between the needle-holding plate and cylinder. By using engaged gears with non-linear teeth that can move axially, the system achieves adaptability for different configurations while maintaining precise transmission to reduce wear and noise.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the angular position parameter of the needle-holding plate relative to the cylinder through controlled axial movement of the offset device. This allows the plate to be positioned at different angular offsets (including zero offset for synchronous rotation) while maintaining reliable transmission through the engaged gear mechanism.
3Manufacturing precision
If the gears have non-linear teeth, then the manufacturing precision is improved, but the ease of manufacture decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The offset device with inlet and outlet gears serves as an intermediary that can accommodate non-linear tooth profiles. These specialized gears engage with standard toothed wheels, allowing the precision benefits of non-linear teeth to be realized while the offset device itself can be manufactured and adjusted as a separate modular component.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A circular knitting machine (1) for knitted items, comprising: a supporting structure; a needle-holding cylinder (C) rotatable around an axis of rotation (X) and supporting a plurality of cylinder needles (N1) that are movable for producing a knitted fabric; a dial assembly (3), arranged above the cylinder and comprising a needle-holding plate (P) rotating around the axis of rotation (X) and supporting a plurality of plate needles (N2) that are movable for producing a knitted fabric. The machine comprises motion generation elements, in order to rotate the needle-holding cylinder around the axis of rotation, and motion transmission elements (10) configured for forming a motion transmission chain capable of transmitting to the plate (P), synchronously with respect to the cylinder, the rotation generated by the motion generation elements. The motion transmission elements comprise: a first toothed wheel (11), receiving the rotary motion of the motion generation elements; a second toothed wheel (12), mounted coaxially with the needle-holding plate; an offset device (20), located between the first and the second toothed wheel and comprising an inlet gear (21), engaged with the first toothed wheel, and an outlet gear (22), engaged with the second toothed wheel. The inlet and outlet gears are mounted coaxially with one another and are translatable by an actuator (25), so as to change the engagement of the inlet gear with the first toothed wheel and/or the engagement of the outlet gear with the second toothed wheel.