Knit design system

#The present invention relates to a knit design system for creating a design of a knitted fabric knitted with a flat knitting machine. More particularly, the present invention relates to a knit design system for creating a design of a seamless knitted fabric which is knitted in such a manner that its sleeves and bodies are joined seamlessly.

#A seamless knitted fabric, such as a sweater and a one-piece, is knitted seamlessly in such a manner that both sleeves are knitted in a tubular form in parallel with a front body and a back body and, thereafter, the both sleeves are joined to the bodies. Then, the bodies are knitted up to the shoulder and joined together at the shoulder. If necessary, some process is given to a collar portion or other portions of the knitted fabric. The seamless knitting is ended after this manner.

#When this seamless knitted fabric is knitted with a flat knitting machine, a knit design system is used to create a design of basic knitting data, while monitoring the design displayed on a monitor. The design data created, including the data on the front body, back body, and sleeves, is represented on the monitor in such a way that the sleeves are arranged in parallel with the front body and back body and also are joined thereto at points at which the joining work is started. When the design of the seamless knitted fabric is created, constraints on the design of the sleeves around armholes of the front body and back body to which the sleeves are joined must be taken into consideration.

#FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a knit design system of the present invention.

#FIG. 2 is a flow chart of a size change process in the knit design system of FIG. 1.

#FIG. 3 shows a design of a seamless knitted fabric to be resized.

#Certain preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a knit design system 1 of the present invention. This knit design system 1 has the capabilities of creating a design of a seamless knitted fabric and allowing size changes of the design. 2 denotes a bus, which is illustrated in the form of a single bus, with no distinction between a data bus and instruction buses other than that. 4 denotes a design storage part for storing design data of the seamless knitted fabric. The design data contained in the storage part 4 stores each loop in the form of a single pixel and provides a bit wide to store the data on stitch structures, racking directions and distances, etc..

#The design data can be interpreted as color data. In the embodiment, the design data is displayed in the form of color data on a monitor 8. The design data may be displayed in any form. For example, the design data may be in the form of color data or color code, or in other forms such as character symbols. When the design data is displayed on the monitor 8, each loop is represented by the single pixel. As for pattern structures requiring some courses for knitting a single loop by loop transfer, like a narrowing pattern and a widening pattern, each of the loops can be represented by single pixel by recording the knitting sequence as a package pattern in advance.

#10 denotes a working memory for storing intermediate data and the like in the process of an arithmetical operation. 12 denotes an automatic software processing part for converting a created design data to a knitting data for a knitting machine. In the design system 1, the design data stored in the design storage part 4 is converted to the knitting data in the automatic software processing part 12 and fed to the knitting machine to knit a fabric.