Pick-up device for picking up a tubular knitted article from a circular knitting machine and for its transfer to a unit adapted to perform additional operations on the article

A system comprising a circular knitting machine for hosiery, a pick-up device and a station, the station being a sewing or linking station, wherein the pick-up device is configured to pick up a tubular knitted article from the circular knitting machine for hosiery and for transferring the tubular knitted article to a unit adapted to perform additional operations on the article, wherein the unit is arranged in the station, the pick-up device comprising:

• an annular pick-up body that supports pick-up elements that can slide relative to the pick-up body along radial directions, each of the pick-up elements having a first end, wherein the pick-up body is configured to be arrangeable coaxially around a needle cylinder of the circular knitting machine for hosiery so that each one of the pick-up elements faces laterally a corresponding needle of the circular knitting machine;
• an actuator configured to act on the pick-up elements for their movement toward or away from an axis of the pick-up body, for engagement or disengagement of each one of the pick-up elements with the corresponding needle of the circular knitting machine that the corresponding needle is made to face wherein the first end of each of the pick-up elements is directed towards the axis of the pick-up body;
• and
• wherein each one of the pick-up elements is adapted to pick up a loop of knitting held on the corresponding needle;
• wherein the pick-up body is movable on command from a pick-up position, in which the pick-up body is configured to be arranged coaxially around the needle cylinder of the circular knitting machine for hosiery, to a release position, in which the pick-up body is configured to be arranged at the station for further processing of the article;
• the station comprising:
• a handling element provided with a plurality of spikes arranged along a cylindrical surface and are designed to engage the article,
• wherein the pick-up body, when in the release position, is arranged coaxially to the cylindrical surface, wherein the cylindrical surface is spaced radially in a direction of the axis of the pick-up body with respect to a cylindrical surface along which the first end of each of the pick-up elements directed toward the axis of the pick-up body is arranged, and
• wherein the first end of each of the pick-up elements is arranged around and radially spaced externally with respect to the plurality of spikes when the pick-up body is in the release position.