Data processing: generic control systems or specific application – Specific application – apparatus or process – Product assembly or manufacturing
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-14
2003-08-26
Nerbun, Peter (Department: 3765)
Data processing: generic control systems or specific application
Specific application, apparatus or process
Product assembly or manufacturing
C700S141000, C066S232000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06611730
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to textile machinery in general, and more particularly to knitting machines and devices for designing knit images for the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are already known various constructions of devices for designing knit images for reproduction in knit products to be produced on knitting machines, among them those disclosed, for instance, in the published European patent document EP 0 640 707 A1, German patent document DE 44 31 898 A1 and the international patent document WO 94/11794. A device of this kind typically includes at least one storage device for storing data required for the production of the knit products on the knitting machine, at least one display device for displaying design images for the knit products, and at least one input device for altering the design images. By using such devices, it is possible to fully exploit the knitting capabilities of fully automated knitting machines. By using such devices, it is possible to manufacture knit products with complicated structures, highly complex color schemes or patterns, as well as complex contours or textures.
In the presently known designing devices of this kind, the input of the parameters of the knit product to be manufactured occurs in various input groups that can or must be edited separately. These input groups basically include shape instructions, color instructions, structure instructions, Jacquard instructions as well as loop size instructions. In addition to this, there must be entered yarn properties as well as machine parameters. From these instructions or input data, there are formed, by resorting to data processing techniques, control data on the basis of which a respective knitting machine is able to manufacture the desired knit product. The knit product is visualized on the display device of the designing apparatus, as a rule, in the form of a thread course presentation that depicts the knitting process—row by row—by respective symbols. In most known arrangements, the knit product is also entered into the system in this form and this information is subsequently converted by a conversion program into the control data for the knitting machine. In addition to that, the designing devices known from the above references are also equipped with other converting programs that are capable of converting or translating the thread course representation into a loop image representation that is capable of being then displayed. However, a direct conversion of a loop image representation into a thread course representation is not possible in these conventional devices.
As a result of the fact that the aforementioned designing devices require, for the generation of the design data for the knit product, the input of knit product instructions and of machine parameters and primarily display the thread course presentation of the knit product, they are predominantly aimed at a technically oriented user. For a style designer, who creates his or her designs in actual loop images, these designing devices are not suitable designing tools in that the loop image presentations can be generated in the known devices only in an operation following and resulting from the creation of the thread course presentation, so that the generation of the latter must be learned and mastered in order to be able to effectively employ the knit product designing device.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to avoid the disadvantages of the prior art.
More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a knit product designing device that does not possess the drawbacks of the known devices of this type.
Still another object of the present invention is to devise a designing device of the type here under consideration which is suited for use not only by technically oriented, but also by more artistically leaning, users.
It is yet another object of the present invention to design the above designing device in such a manner as to allow its proficient use even by persons who are not familiar with thread course presentation symbols and generation techniques.
A concomitant object of the present invention is so to construct the device of the above type as to be relatively simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to use, and yet reliable in operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In keeping with the above objects and others which will become apparent hereafter, one feature of the present invention resides in a device for designing knit products to be manufactured on a knitting machine. This designing device includes at least one storage device for storing data required for the production of the knit products on the knitting machine, at least one display device for displaying design images for the knit products, and at least one input device for altering the design images. In accordance with the present invention, the designing device further includes means for processing data to be exchanged between the storage, input and display devices, including means for generating at least one knit image presentation and at least one corresponding thread course presentation for display as the design images on the display device, and means for simultaneously correspondingly altering one of the presentations as the other is being altered by using the input device.
A particular advantage of the designing device as described so far is that it is now possible by using the above designing device to utilize either one of the thread course and knit image presentations for the entry and/or alteration of data relating to the elements of the knit product, while the respectively other of such presentations or at least the data describing the same is changed accordingly in a simultaneous or concurrent fashion. Consequently, the designing device of the present invention is suited for use both by style designers and technically oriented users. In this respect, it is particularly advantageous for the processing means to further include means for sending the knit image presentation and the thread course presentation to the display device for simultaneous display thereon. Of course, if so desired, other presentations, such as those that more closely depict the machine operations, can be displayed on the display device as well.
Additional advantages are obtained when the processing means further includes means for sending at least one of the knit image presentation and the thread course presentation of a plurality of sections of the respective knit product to the display device for simultaneous display thereon. Such a simultaneous display may be achieved by resorting to the well-known window display technique. All of such windows are or equal rank during the editing, and they display images that are based on the same instructions or information. The effect of any modification in the thread course presentation on the knit product can be immediately observed in the reality-close knit or loop image presentation or rendition. This facilitates the spotting or recognition of errors or undesired effects. It is also possible in accordance with the present invention for the processing means to further include means for sending at least one of the knit image presentation and the thread course presentation of respective front and rear surfaces of the respective knit product to the display device for simultaneous display thereon.
It is especially advantageous when, in accordance with a further facet of the present invention, the generating means includes means for generating the knit image presentation as a reality-resembling, three-dimensional image of all elements of such a presentation including at least one of at least the loop size, tuck and float, wherein the individual elements, by performing predetermined offsetting and wrap-around around operations, may be tied in into the overall structure of the eventual knit product in directions different from the prevailing direction of the stitches of such a product. This
Bruendl Helmut
Ertl Gerhard
Fries Horst
Haug Michael
Hermann Juergen
H. Stoll GmbH & Co.
Nerbun Peter
Striker Michael J.
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