Knitted fabric and method and device for producing the knitted fabric

Abstract

A method and device for producing knitted fabric include supplying roving to a stretching unit with stretching roller pairs and a spinning nozzle device and drawing the roving using the stretching roller pairs. Inlet and outlet roller pairs of the stretching unit are controllably driven, according to a pattern to be formed on the machine, so that the thread thickness of the drawn roving is varied by changing the relative speed between inlet and outlet roller pairs. The drawn roving is supplied to the spinning nozzle device and strengthened by applying compressed air, and the drawn, strengthened roving is supplied to the machine. The thread supply speed of the drawn, strengthened roving to the machine is set depending on the loop size to be knit by the machine by controlling rotation speed of at least one driven roller of the outlet roller pair. A knitted fabric is also provided.

1 - 15  (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . A method for producing a knitted fabric having a pattern, the method comprising the following steps:
 supplying a sliver formed as a roving of unstrengthened fiber bundles to a roving drawing and strengthening unit including a stretching unit with at least two stretching roller pairs successively disposed in a thread transport direction and a spinning nozzle device disposed downstream of the stretching unit in the thread transport direction and drawing the roving using the at least two stretching roller pairs;   controllably driving at least one inlet roller pair and one outlet roller pair of the stretching unit according to the pattern of the knitted fabric to be formed on a knitting machine causing a thread thickness of the drawn roving to be varied along its length by changing a relative speed between the inlet roller pair and the outlet roller pair;   supplying the drawn roving exiting the stretching unit to the spinning nozzle device and strengthening the drawn roving by applying compressed air;   then supplying the drawn, strengthened roving to the knitting machine directly or by using a transport or clamping device; and   setting a thread supply speed of the drawn, strengthened roving to the knitting machine depending on a loop size to be knit by the knitting machine by controlling a rotation speed of at least one driven roller of the outlet roller pair of the stretching unit.   
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 16 , which further comprises setting the roller speed based on:
 the bigger the loop size to be knit by the knitting machine, the smaller the relative speed between the inlet roller pair and the outlet roller pair and the bigger the rotation speed of the at least one driven roller of the outlet roller pair is set, and   the smaller the loop size to be knit by the knitting machine, the bigger the relative speed between the inlet roller pair and the outlet roller pair and the smaller the rotation speed of the at least one driven roller of the outlet roller pair is set.   
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 16 , which further comprises setting a relative speed between the inlet roller pair and the outlet roller pair to be inversely proportional to the loop size to be knit by the knitting machine and setting the rotation speed of the at least one driven roller of the outlet roller pair to be directly proportional to the loop size. 
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 16 , which further comprises supplying the drawn, strengthened roving to the knitting machine with constant thread tension. 
     
     
         20 . The method according to  claim 16 , which further comprises supplying at least one auxiliary thread to the stretching unit, and controlling an auxiliary thread supply speed to the stretching unit depending on at least one of the loop size of the knitted fabric to be formed on the knitting machine or stretch characteristics of the auxiliary thread. 
     
     
         21 . The method according to  claim 16 , which further comprises forming a plurality of drawn, strengthened rovings on separate roving drawing and strengthening units, supplying the drawn, strengthened rovings to separate knitting systems of the knitting machine by using the roving drawing and strengthening units, and controlling and operating the roving drawing and strengthening units independently of each other. 
     
     
         22 . The method according to  claim 16 , which further comprises combining a plurality of roving drawing and strengthening units into one module and jointly electronically controlling the roving drawing and strengthening units. 
     
     
         23 . The method according to  claim 21 , which further comprises supplying each respective knitting system of the knitting machine with drawn, strengthened roving from at least two of the roving drawing and strengthening units. 
     
     
         24 . The method according to  claim 22 , which further comprises supplying each respective knitting system of the knitting machine with drawn, strengthened roving from at least two of the roving drawing and strengthening units. 
     
     
         25 . A device for producing a knitted fabric, the device comprising:
 at least one knitting machine including a sinking depth adjustment device;   at least one roving drawing and strengthening unit disposed upstream of said at least one knitting machine in a thread transport direction, said at least one strengthening unit including at least one stretching unit with at least two stretching roller pairs being successively disposed in the thread transport direction and at least one spinning nozzle device disposed downstream of said at least one stretching unit in the thread transport direction, said at least two stretching roller pairs including an inlet roller pair and an outlet roller pair each having at least one respective driven roller;   at least one drive coupled to said at least one driven roller of said inlet roller pair and to said at least one driven roller of said outlet roller pair;   a pattern control for said at least one knitting machine, said pattern control being coupled to said at least one drive; and   said pattern control and said at least one drive being coupled to said sinking depth adjustment device.   
     
     
         26 . The device according to  claim 25 , which further comprises at least one thread tension measuring device for determining a thread tension of a drawn, strengthened roving exiting said at least one roving drawing and strengthening unit. 
     
     
         27 . The device according to  claim 25 , which further comprises at least one auxiliary thread supply device being connected to said at least one stretching unit and being controllable by at least one of said pattern control for said at least one the knitting machine or in dependence on stretch characteristics of an auxiliary thread to be supplied to said at least one stretching unit. 
     
     
         28 . The device according to  claim 25 , wherein:
 said at least one strengthening unit includes at least two separate strengthening units being independently controlled; and   said at least one knitting machine includes knitting systems each being associated with said at least two separate roving drawing and strengthening units.   
     
     
         29 . The device according to  claim 25 , wherein said at least one strengthening unit includes a plurality of strengthening units combined into one module and coupled for control. 
     
     
         30 . A knitted fabric, comprising:
 a drawn, strengthened roving having a thread thickness varying along its length;   said thread thickness of said drawn, strengthened roving being formed in dependence on a respective loop size of the knitted fabric; and   said thread thickness increasing with increasing loop size and decreasing with decreasing loop size.   
     
     
         31 . The knitted fabric according to  claim 30 , wherein the knitted fabric is a seamless, circularly-knitted, knitted fabric with varying diameter and constant opaqueness.