Patent ID: 6422044
Filing Date: 2002-07-23
Classification: D04B

Abstract:
A needle actuation device for a knitting machine having a needle holder, needles and needle pushers provided with respective heels, a yam feeder, comprising: a cam box facing the needle holder; at least one lowering cam supported at said cam box and having a profile which is inclined with respect to a motion direction of said needle holder with respect to said cam box, said lowering cam profile being engageable by any of the heels of the needles and needle pushers which protrude from said needle holder toward said cam box, said needle holder having, on a face thereof that faces said cam box, a plurality of accommodation slots that are parallel to each other and lie substantially at right angles to said motion direction, each said slot accommodating a respective one of said needles so as to be slideable along a corresponding accommodation slot, said lowering cam profile being shaped so as to produce movement of each one of said needles along a sliding direction defined by the corresponding accommodation slot of the needle holder after engaging yarn at the feed of the machine, in order to form new loops of knitting, by lowering previously formed loops of knitting, said lowering cam being supported by said cam box so as to rotate about a rotation axis that is substantially perpendicular to a surface portion of said needle holder that faces said cam box; first adjustment means for adjusting a position of said lowering cam with respect to said needle holder along an adjustment direction with at least one component which is parallel to the sliding direction of the needles that engage said lowering cam along the corresponding accommodation slots of the needle holder, in order to vary loop lengths; connecting means for connecting a portion of said lowering cam that is spaced from said rotation axis to said cam box for a rotation of said lowering cam about said rotation axis with respect to said cam box as a consequence of translational motion of said lowering cam along said adjustment direction with respect to said cam box; and second adjustment means which are connected to said lowering cam, said second adjustment means being actuatable for causing rotation of said lowering cam about said rotation axis with respect to said cam box, independently of the translational motion of said lowering cam along said adjustment direction with respect to said cam box.