CLEANING DEVICE FOR A KNITTING MACHINE

Abstract: An annular duct (19) is disposed around the upper part of a knitting machine and has a plurality of openings (20) therein directed respectively towards feed devices (11) which supply yarn to the needles of the knitting machine. Air is drawn into a suction inlet (14) at the lower end of a cylinder (13) across the needles themselves, and is then propelled by a fan (16) through the openings (20) and onto the feed devices (11). Lint entrained in the air stream is removed by a filter bag (17), and the air after passing through and around the feed devices (11) flows on towards the suction inlet (14) to be recycled therethrough.

Description: Title: Cleaning Device for a Knitting Machine This invention relates to a cleaning device for a knitting machine, and to a knitting machine incorporating such device. According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cleaning device for a knitting machine, comprising a ring-like duct disposed around an upper part of the machine, the duct having therein at least one opening directed towards feed devices which supply yarn to needles of the knitting machine, and blowing means operative to supply gas to the duct, whereby at least one gas stream is blown out of said at least one opening and is directed towards said feed devices to clean the latter. Preferably the duct is provided with one such opening for each of the feed devices. Desirably, the ring-like duct is of annular configuration. Advantageously, the gas is fed into the ring-like duct at either end thereof by means of a flow diverter, the flow diverter being operative to direct the flow of said gas selectively to the ends of the ring-like duct. Conveniently, the gas is fed to the ring-like duct by way of a branched connector, and the flow diverter comprises an adjustable diverter member disposed in the branched connector. The diverter member is preferably angularly movable within the branched connector. Alternatively, the flow diverter can comprise first and second valves disposed respectively at the ends of the ring-like duct, the first and second valves being selectively operable. Desirably, the first and second valves are linked so that when the first valve is open the second is closed and vice versa. According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a knitting machine comprising feed devices operative to supply yarn to needles of the machine, and a cleaning device for cleaning the feed devices, the cleaning device comprising a ring¬ like duct disposed around an upper part of the machine, the duct having therein at least one opening directed towards the feed devices, and blowing means operative to supply gas to the duct, whereby at least one gas stream is blown out of said at least one opening and is directed towards the feed devices to clean the same. Preferably, the duct is provided with one such opening for each of the feed devices. Desirably, the ring-like duct is of annular configuration. Advantageously, the gas is fed into the ring-like duct at either end thereof by means of a flow diverter, the flow diverter being operative to direct the flow of said gas selectively to the ends of the ring-like duct. Conveniently, the gas is fed to the ring-like duct by way of a branded connector, and the flow diverter comprises an adjustable diverter member disposed in the branched connector. The diverter member is preferably angularly movable within the branched connector. Alternatively, the flow diverter can comprise first and second valves disposed respectively at the ends of the ring-like duct, the first and second valves being selectively operable. Desirably, the first and second valves are linked so that when the first valve is open the second is closed and vice versa. Advantageously, the feed devices are disposed in a ring around the upper part of the knitting machine, and the duct is disposed above said ring and is of a diameter greater than said ring. Conveniently, yarn is supplied to the feed devices by way of yarn tubes, and the yarn tubes pass generally vertically through a central space in the ring-like duct. The duct is preferably made from flexible hose. The blowing means desirably comprises at least one fan. Advantageously, said at least one opening is also directed towards the needles of the knitting machine, so that the gas emitted therefrom flows towards the needles after passing the feed devices. Conveniently, the cleaning device also comprises at least one suction inlet disposed closely adjacent to the needles, and ducting which connects said at least one suction inlet to the blowing means, such that gas is drawn in through said at least one suction inlet by the blowing means and is then re-emitted through said at least one opening in the ring-like duct. Advantageously, the cleaning device further comprises a filter through which the gas is passed in between being sucked through said at least one suction inlet and being blown out of said at least one opening. Preferably, the blowing means and/or the filter is disposed remotely from the knitting machine. The invention will now be further described, by way of example only, by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic side view of a knitting machine incorporating a cleaning device according to the present invention; and Figure 2 is a schematic plan view of a flow diverter forming part of the cleaning device shown in Figure 1. Referring first to Figure 1, the illustrated knitting machine is of the circular type and comprises generally a needle bed 10 containing needles to which yarn is supplied by way of a series of feed devices 11 disposed in a ring around the upper part of the machine. The yarn is in turn supplied to the feed devices 11 from a creel (not shown) by way of yarn tubes 12. The knitting machine includes a cleaning device which comprises a cylinder 13 disposed centrally of the machine and whose lower end terminates relatively close to the needle bed 10. An annular gap 14 is thereby defined between the cylinder end and the needle bed, and this forms a suction inlet through which air can be drawn in across the needles. An upper end of the cylinder 13 is connected by way of arch- shaped ducting 15 to a blower in the form of a fan 16. Before reaching the fan itself, air passing through the ducting is drawn through a filter bag 17. The fan 16 and filter bag 17 are disposed on the workroom floor at a location remote from the knitting machine to facilitate servicing of the fan and emptying of the filter bag. The fan 16 is connected by way of further arch-shaped ducting 18 to a ring-like duct 19 disposed around the upper part of the knitting machine. The duct 19 is of annular configuration and is made of flexible hose. At its lower inner periphery the duct 19 is provided with a series of openings 20, one for each of the feed devices 11. Each opening 20 is directed towards the respective feed device so that air emitted from the opening flows over the latter. Each opening 20 is also directed towards the needle bed 10 so that, after passing the respective feed device, the air flows on towards the suction inlet 14. In use, air is drawn into the suction inlet 14 across the needles and thereby removes any loose lint from the latter. After flowing up the cylinder 13 and through the ducting 15, the air passes through the filter bag 17 to remove the entrained lint therefrom. The air is then propelled by the fan 16 through the ducting 18 and thence to the duct 19, where it is emitted as a series of streams through the openings 20. These streams pass over and through the feed devices 11 to remove lint therefrom, and the air streams then flow towards the needle bed 10 to be sucked in through the suction inlet 14 once again. The cleaning device thus forms a system in which air is continually circulated and lint is removed from the circulating air flow. The system is therefore essentially self-contained and is advantageous in preventing cross-contamination between different knitting machines in the same workroom. Also, because the air streams emitted from duct 19 flow right down to the point where the suction effect is pulling the air into the cylinder 13, the air is still moving from the blowing action as the suction effect takes over, and this increases the energy efficiency of the system. Referring now also to Figure 2, the duct 19 has its two ends 30,31 juxtaposed. The ends 30,31 are connected to the ducting 18 by means of a branched connector 32 which, in the illustrated embodiment, is of generally Y-shaped configuration. Disposed within the connector 32 is a flow diverter 33 in the form of a diverter plate 34 which is pivoted at its middle so as to be angularly movable about a shaft 35. The plate 34 is pivotable between a first position (shown in full lines) wherein gas from the ducting 18 is deflected into the end 30 of the duct 19, and a second position (shown in broken lines) wherein the gas is deflected into the other end 31 of the duct 19 instead. In each case, the gas after deflection issues through the openings 20 and impinges upon the yarn feeding devices to clean the latter. However, the gas is emitted from the openings 20 at the respective ends 30,31 of the duct 19 into which it is deflected, at a greater force than would be the case if the gas were allowed to flow into both ends simultaneously. This improves the cleaning effect on the yarn feeding devices . The deflector plate 34 is switched between its two said positions at regular intervals, so that the improved cleaning effect is alternated between the two ends of the duct 19. This can be performed automatically by means of a geared motion. In an alternative arrangement (not shown) , the deflector plate 34 is movable rectilinearly between respective positions in which it deflects the flow of gas selectively into the two ends 30,31 of the duct 19. In a further alternative arrangement (also not shown) , the deflector plate 34 is replaced by a pair of butterfly-type valves disposed respectively at the ends 30,31 of the duct 19. These valves are linked together so that when one is open the other is closed, and vice versa. The use of the ring-like duct 19 is advantageous in several respects. In particular, because the yarn tubes 12 can pass generally vertically through a central space 21 in the duct, the duct does not have to be disposed above the level at which the yarn tubes enter the knitting machine. This in turn means that the duct can be positioned relatively close to the feed devices so that the cleaning action of the air streams emitted from the openings 20 is highly effective. This is particularly advantageous where tall creels are used, where the yarn tubes enter the knitting machine at a relatively high level. Also, in the case where a creel is used which is disposed on one side only of the knitting machine and the yarn tubes all enter the machine from the same direction, if the duct was located above the level of the yarn tubes then the tubes would cause a major obstruction of the air flow to the feed devices in that area.

Claims: CLAIMS : 1. A cleaning device for a knitting machine, comprising a ring-like duct disposed around an upper part of the machine, the duct having therein at least one opening directed towards feed devices which supply yarn to needles of the knitting machine, and blowing means operative to supply gas to the duct, whereby at least one gas stream is blown out of said at least one opening and is directed towards said feed devices to clean the latter. 2. A cleaning device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the duct is provided with one such opening for each of the feed devices. 3. A cleaning device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the ring-like duct is of annular configuration. 4. A cleaning device as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3 , wherein the gas is fed into the ring-like duct at either end thereof by means of a flow diverter, the flow diverter being operative to direct the flow of said gas selectively to the ends of the ring-like duct. 5. A cleaning device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the gas is fed to the ring-like duct by way of a branched connector, and the flow diverter comprises an adjustable diverter member disposed in the branched connector. 6. A cleaning device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the diverter member is angularly movable within the branched connector. 7. A cleaning device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the flow diverter comprises first and second valves disposed respectively at the ends of the ring-like duct, the first and second valves being selectively operable. 8. A cleaning device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the first and second valves are linked so that when the first one is open the second is closed and vice versa. 9 . A knitting machine comprising feed devices operative to • supply yarn to needles of the machine, and a cleaning device for cleaning the feed devices, the cleaning device comprising a ring-like duct disposed around an upper part of the machine, the duct having therein at least one opening directed towards the feed devices, and blowing means operative to supply gas to the duct, whereby at least one gas stream is blown out of said at least one opening and is directed towards the feed devices to clean the same. 10. A knitting machine as claimed in claim 9, wherein the duct is provided with one such opening for each of the feed devices. 11. A knitting machine as claimed in claim 9 or 10, wherein the ring-like duct is of annular configuration. 12. A knitting machine as claimed in claim 9, 10 or 11, wherein the gas is fed into the ring-like duct at either end thereof by means of a flow diverter, the flow diverter being operative to direct the flow of said gas selectively to the ends of the ring-like duct. 13. A knitting machine as claimed in claim 12, wherein the gas is fed to the ring-like duct by way of a branched connector, and the flow diverter comprises an adjustable diverter member disposed in the branched connector. 14. A knitting machine as claimed in claim 13, wherein the diverter member is angularly movable within the branched connector. 15. A knitting machine as claimed in claim 12, wherein the flow diverter comprises first and second valves disposed respectively at the ends of the ring-like duct, the first and second valves being selectively operable. 16. A knitting machine as claimed in claim 15, wherein the first and second valves are linked so that when the first one is open the second is closed and vice versa. 17. A knitting machine as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 16, wherein the feed devices are disposed in a ring around the upper part of the knitting machine, and the duct is disposed above said ring and is of a diameter greater than said ring. 18. A knitting machine as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 17, wherein yarn is supplied to the feed devices by way of yarn tubes, and the yarn tubes pass generally vertically through a central space in the ring-like duct. 19. A knitting machine as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 18, wherein the duct is made from flexible hose. 20. A knitting machine as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 19, wherein the blowing means comprises at least one fan. 21. A knitting machine as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 20, wherein said at least one opening is also directed towards the needles of the knitting machine, so that the gas emitted therefrom flows towards the needles after passing the feed devices. 22. A knitting machine as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 21, wherein the cleaning device also comprises at least one suction inlet disposed closely adjacent to the needles of the knitting machine, and ducting which connects said at least one suction inlet to the blowing means, such that gas is drawn in through said at least one suction inlet by the blowing means and is then re-emitted through said at least one opening in the ring-like duct. 23. A knitting machine as claimed in claim 22, wherein the cleaning device further comprises a filter through which the gas is passed in between being sucked through said at least one suction inlet and being blown out of said at least one opening. 24. A knitting machine as claimed in claim 23, wherein the filter is disposed remotely from the knitting machine proper. 25. A knitting machine as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 24, wherein the blowing means is disposed remotely from the knitting machine.

Inventors: SHELTON MARK ALAN, SHELTON WILLIAM EWART ALAN, SHELTON, MARK, ALAN, SHELTON, WILLIAM, EWART, ALAN
Applicants: SHELTON ALAN LTD, SHELTON MARK ALAN, SHELTON WILLIAM EWART ALAN, ALAN SHELTON LIMITED, SHELTON, MARK, ALAN, SHELTON, WILLIAM, EWART, ALAN
Application year: 1996
Main classification: D04B35
IPC codes: D04B35