EP0574411B1 - Process for knitting tubular fabric on a straight knitting machine - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention concerns a process for knitting tubular fabric on a straight knitting machine with two main and two auxiliary needle boards plus a racking mechanism. In order to produce simply, in a single operation, simultaneously with the actual knitting process, a ridgeless linking seam for a closed or open end, an edge stitch is transferred from each main needle board (A and B) to the respective auxiliary needle boards (a and b) to finish off the fabric, the needle boards are racked with respect to each other, the stitch is transferred back from each auxiliary needle board (a and b) to the respective main needle boards (A and B), and needles knit the stitches which were transferred back.

Description

The description relates to a method for knitting tubular goods on a flat knitting machine with two main and two auxiliary needle beds, and an offset device.

Methods of this type are known, for example, from DE 16 35 965 A1 or DE 24 36 450 A1, which go back to the same inventor as the present subject matter. On the flat knitting machines described there, knitwear and knitted parts in tubular form were knitted, for example sweater body parts or sweater sleeves, which were cut and connected in further production steps. In particular, it was not possible with the conventional methods to produce closed knitted ends on flat knitting machines with little effort and thus economically, or to carry out binding processes on flat knitting machines. Unbinding or reducing in the hose, for example for the creation of the shoulder parts, was in principle possible, but for reasons of inefficiency and therefore also in practice was not used or only to a small extent, because as a knitted finish around the shoulder area there were beaded beads, which both are aesthetically unattractive, as well as disadvantageous when wearing the clothes. Conventional binding-off methods without auxiliary needle beds are known, for example, from DE 32 03 028 A1, in which a transfer process is carried out from the front to the rear needle bed or vice versa, with more than one stitch coming to lie on a needle to be knitted through a corresponding offset, and this needle is then knitted becomes.

DE 40 06 877 A1 describes a method for knitting tubular goods and for reducing the tubular shape knitted goods known, in which auxiliary needle beds are also used. All stitches are transferred from one auxiliary needle bed to the needle bed assigned to the other auxiliary needle bed and then hung back again. An offset occurs between the rear and the front main needle bed, the auxiliary needle beds not being offset with respect to the main needle beds and being displaced together with the main needle beds.

All of these known methods have the disadvantage that the binding areas result in bulges which severely impair the aesthetic effect of the knitted clothing, such as a sweater or a knitted dress, and which are also disadvantageous for the user when wearing.

The invention is therefore based on the object of creating a method which does not have the disadvantages of the conventional binding method and enables knitwear in a simple manner with flat knitting machines, which enables non-bulky flat connections of the front and rear side of the goods without bulging.

Based on the method mentioned in the introduction, this object is achieved according to the invention in that an edge stitch is transferred from a main needle bed to an auxiliary needle bed, the auxiliary needle bed is displaced relative to its associated main needle bed, the stitch is hung back from the auxiliary needle bed to the main needle bed, and the The needle is knitted with the looped back stitch.

This method of reducing tubular goods leads to connections or reductions, for example when finishing in the shoulder area of flat knitting machines knitting sweaters or garments that do not have bulky areas such as beads etc. The garments produced in this way are therefore elegant and comfortable to wear.

The method according to the invention is particularly advantageous in the case of items of clothing which are to be produced entirely on the flat knitting machine, as is described, for example, in the unpublished DE 39 31 414 A1 by the same inventor. With the aid of the method according to the invention, it is possible with complete or finished items of clothing such as complete sweaters or finished clothes, in one operation on the flat knitting machine, to create a hose decoupling seam on a flat knitting machine without application or bead for the hose ends, for example in the shoulder area.

Advantageous embodiments of the invention are specified in the subclaims.

Depending on how far to reduce, the process according to the invention is repeated in accordance with the number of stitches to be completed.

The edge stitches are preferably transferred between the respective front main and auxiliary needle beds on the one hand and between each of the rear main and auxiliary needle beds on the other hand. Depending on the requirements and desired knitting patterns, however, it is possible to transfer the edge stitches between the respective front main and rear auxiliary needle beds on the one hand and between the respective rear main and front auxiliary needle beds on the other hand, or alternatively to carry out these two options alternately or mixed.

According to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, the edge stitches are knitted on the main needle bed on the latter simultaneously with a thread guide after hanging back. Because there is only one thread guide, there is a closed hose end.

As an alternative to this, in order to create an open hose end according to an alternative embodiment of the method according to the invention, the edge stitches are sewn separately on the front and rear auxiliary needle beds with different thread guides after hanging back on the main needle beds. In this way it is possible to create elegant neck areas, that is to say an open tube closure, in the case of articles of clothing, for example complete sweaters or dresses, which are knitted as a whole on the flat knitting machine. In the manufacture of complete garments on flat knitting machines, the chaining method according to the invention for closed tube closure and then the chaining method for open tube termination can first be used to bind off in the shoulder area.

In order to increase the productivity of the machines, it is particularly advantageous if the edge stitches run on the rear main needle bed and are knitted on the front main needle bed, or vice versa. This requires sledges with at least two rope locks.

A further increase in machine productivity also results from the fact that the edge stitches are subsequently reassigned after the knitting process. Flat knitting machines with carriages are required for this, in which neck locks are provided in addition to the knitting locks.

• a) die jeweilige Randmasche auf dem Hauptnadelbett wird auf das jeweilige zugeordnete Hilfsnadelbett umgehängt;
• b) die Hilfsnadelbetten werden auf um eine Nadel in Richtung der benachbarten Nadel des Hauptnadelbetts versetzt;
• c) die jeweilige auf das Hilfnadelbett umgesetzte Randmasche wird auf das jeweilige Hauptnadelbett rückgehängt, sodaß sich die Randmasche zusammen mit der der Randmasche benachbarten Masche auf einer Nadel des Hauptnadelbetts befindet, und
• d) die beiden Nadeln der beiden Hauptnadelbetten mit den jeweils zurückgehängten Randmaschen werden abgestrickt.

A particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention has the following method steps:

• a) the respective edge stitch on the main needle bed is reassigned to the associated auxiliary needle bed;
• b) the auxiliary needle beds are displaced by one needle in the direction of the adjacent needle of the main needle bed;
• c) the respective edge stitch converted onto the auxiliary needle bed is hung back onto the respective main needle bed, so that the edge stitch together with the stitch adjacent to the edge stitch is on a needle of the main needle bed, and
• d) the two needles of the two main needle beds, each with the edge stitches hung back, are knitted off.

The method according to the invention for forming a knitted finish or the reducing process can be carried out on the flat knitting machine either from left to right in accordance with the embodiment described below or from right to left. However, it is also possible, in particular, to carry out the reduction process according to the invention simultaneously with a link-off from left to right and from right to left, that is to say simultaneously from outside to inside. In this case, one thread guide must be provided on both sides of the flat knitting machine for decoupling with the hose end closed, and two thread guides must be provided on both sides of the knitted fabric located on the flat knitting machine for uncoupling with the hose end open.

Figur 1

die Verfahrensschritte für das Abketteln mit ge schlossenem Schlauchabschluß und

Figur 2

die Verfahrensschritte für das Abketteln mit offenem Schlauchabschluß.

The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the areas of embodiment described in FIGS. 1 and 2. Show it:

Figure 1

the process steps for decoupling with ge closed hose end and

Figure 2

the process steps for binding off with the hose end open.

The individual process steps taking place successively in time are to be explained with reference to FIGS. 1a to 1i or 2a to 2i. In these figures, the front main needle bed is denoted by A, the front auxiliary needle bed by a, the rear main needle bed by B and the rear auxiliary needle bed by b. The individual needles of the needle beds are numbered from left to right. In the illustrated embodiment, only 10 stitches or needles per needle bed have been shown for the sake of simplicity. Of course, knits with more than 10 stitches are also possible.

The respective position of the slide is symbolically represented in the figures with a large arrow pointing downwards.

First, the knitting process of an embodiment according to the invention when decoupling for a closed hose closure will be explained with reference to FIG. 1.

FIG. 1 shows the last round of the tubular goods, for example a pullover, before the chaining off or the reduction is to begin in the shoulder area. Assume that the carriage is on the left as shown

During the next sled run to the right, the left edge stitch, which is located on needle 1 of the front main needle bed A, is on needle 1 of the front auxiliary needle bed a and the stitch on needle 1 of the rear main needle bed B is on needle 1 of the rear auxiliary needle bed b reassigned. The carriage is now on the right side of the knitted fabric (Fig. 1b). In this position, ie during the carriage reversal on the right side, the front auxiliary needle bed a and the rear auxiliary needle bed b are shifted to the right by one needle, as shown in FIG. 1c. The sled is still to the right of the knitted fabric.

When sledding from right to left, the stitch on the needle 1 of the front auxiliary needle bed a is hung on the needle 2 of the front main needle bed A and the stitch on the needle 1 of the rear auxiliary needle bed b is hung on the needle 2 of the rear main needle bed B. The carriage is then to the left of the knitted fabric (Fig. 1d). In this left reverse position, the auxiliary needle beds a, b are reset to the basic position, as shown in FIG. 1e. As is also shown schematically in FIG. 1e, the double edge stitches located on the needles 2 of the main needle beds A and B are knitted to the right during the sled run. Then the sledge is to the right of the knitted fabric. The thread guide FF was taken to the right side of the left edge stitch.

As shown in FIG. 1f, the thread guide FF is carried along from left to right on the left side of the left edge stitches during the sled run and at the same time the left edge stitches are each removed by the needles 2 of the front and rear main needle bed A and B reassigned to the needles 2 of the front and rear auxiliary needle bed a and b. In this position of the carriage and the thread guide FF, the auxiliary needle beds a and b are again displaced by one needle pitch to the right (see FIG. 1g), so that the stitches lying on the needles 2 of the auxiliary needle beds a and b on the needles 3 of the main needle beds A and B can be hung back when the sled moves from left to right. If - as in the present embodiment - the sled has a knitting lock that follows the neck lock, the double stitches located on the needles 3 of the main needle beds A and B are knitted after the slinging after slinging to the right. Then the thread guide is again to the right of the left edge stitches and the slide is now to the right of the knitted fabric, as shown in Figure 1i.

After the auxiliary needle beds a, b have been moved back in accordance with the explanations relating to FIG. Le, the method steps then run as already described with reference to FIGS. 1f to 1i.

The process is repeated until the hose closure is finished in accordance with the specifications.

It should be pointed out that in the process steps the thread guide FF is only taken over the edge stitch area and only the edge stitches are knitted, but not the remaining stitches. It should also be pointed out that in each case only in one direction, in the illustrated exemplary embodiment only from left to right, but not from right to left, the front and rear edge stitches are knitted simultaneously in a slide movement, as is the case with Right-right knitting is the case. Also, only one front and one back edge stitch is transferred to the respective main needle beds A and B before the knitting process.

Although in the embodiment shown the knitting process is from left to right, the knitting process can of course always be carried out from right to left, that is to say the reduction takes place on the right side of the knitted fabric. It is also possible to reduce or bind off the knitted fabric in accordance with the described knitting processes from the left and from the right at the same time, knitting from left to right for the left side of the knitting process and always from for the right side of the knitting process knit right to left. In this case, another thread guide is also provided for the right area of the knitted fabric.

In the method steps shown schematically in FIG. 2, an embodiment of the invention is described using the example of decoupling for an open hose closure. The symbols and representations of the needles and the main or Auxiliary needle beds A, B and a, b corresponding to those of Figure 1.

When uncoupling a finished item of clothing, such as a complete sweater or a complete knitted dress, the shoulder area corresponds to the uncoupling for closed tube closure, as shown in FIG. 1. For the neck area it is necessary to bind off with an open hose end, as is shown schematically below.

According to Figure la, Figure 2a also represents the last round of tubing before decoupling for an open tube termination. It is assumed that the slide, as well as the thread guide FF1 for the front main needle bed A and the thread guide FF2 for the rear main needle bed B are on the left side of the Knitted fabrics are located, as is indicated schematically in FIG. 2a. During the sled run from left to right, the edge stitches, namely the stitches on the needles 1 of the main needle beds A and B, are reassigned to the needles 1 of the auxiliary needle beds a and b (cf. FIG. 2b).

When the slide is in the right reversed position, the auxiliary needle beds a and b are shifted to the right by one needle pitch (see FIG. 2c), so that during the subsequent slide run from right to left the stitches from the auxiliary needle beds a and b onto the needles 2 of the Main needle beds A and B are reassigned (see FIG. 2d). While the carriage is then in the left reverse position; the auxiliary needle beds a and b are returned to the starting position, as shown schematically in FIG. 2e. The carriage then runs to the right and knits the needle 2 of the front main needle bed A with the thread guide FF1 and the needle 2 of the rear main needle bed B with the thread guide FF2. This results in a stitch or edge stitch at the front and back. After knitting, the thread guides FF1 and FF2 are to the right of the edge stitches. In the present example, the sled has shoulder locks next to the knitted locks. During the sled run to the right, during which the edge stitches are knitted, the edge stitches are subsequently reassigned from the needles 2 of the main needle beds A and B to the needles 2 of the auxiliary needle beds a and b assigned to the main needle beds A and B (see FIG 2f). As Figure 2g shows, the auxiliary needle beds a and b shifted by one needle pitch to the right and during the sled run from right to left the stitch on the needle 2 of the front auxiliary needle bed a is raised to the needle 3 of the front main needle bed A and the stitch on the needle 2 of the rear auxiliary needle bed b according to FIG. 2h the needle 3 of the rear main needle bed B, so that two stitches hang on the needles 3 of the main needle bed A and B. During the sled run from right to left, the thread guides FF1 and FF2 are taken to the left side of the edge stitches.

If the slide is in its reverse position to the left of the knitted fabric (Fig. 2h), the auxiliary needle beds a and b are set back to the basic position by one needle pitch to the left. Then the carriage moves to the right and knits off the needles 3 of the main needle beds A and B, so that there is a slip stitch as edge stitches. The thread guides FF1 and FF2 are now to the right of the edge stitches and the carriage is to the right of the knitted fabric (Fig. 2i).

As shown in FIG. 2i, the knitting sequence is now in the state already described with reference to FIG. 2e, only with the difference that the edge stitches are now on the needles 3 of the main needle beds A and B instead of on the needles 2. Depending on how many stitches are to be cast off, the described process is repeated accordingly.

The invention has been described on the basis of preferred exemplary embodiments. Modifications and configurations of this embodiment are possible for the person skilled in the art, however, without thereby departing from the inventive idea. For example, the method of chaining off for closed and open hose closure one after the other, so that the shoulder section and neck section can be carried out in a single operation on a flat knitting machine, for example in the manufacture of complete knitwear such as ready-made sweaters or complete knitwear.

Claims (15)

1. Process for knitting tubular fabric on a flat bed knitting machine having two main and two auxiliary needle beds as well as a racking device, characterised in that, for the formation of a finished fabric an edge stitch is transferred on each occasion from one main needle bed to an auxiliary needle bed, the auxiliarly needle bed is racked with respect to its corresponding main needle bed, the stitch is transferred back from the auxiliary needle bed to the main needle bed and the needle carrying the re-transferred stitch is knitted-off.
2. Process in accordance with Claim 1, characterised in that, the process is repeated in accordance with the number of stitches that are to be finished.
3. Process in accordance with Claim 1 or 2, characterised in that, the transfer of the edge stitches occurs on the one hand between the respective front main and auxiliary needle bed and on the other hand between the respective rear main and auxiliary needle bed.
4. Process in accordance with any of the preceding Claims, characterised in that, the transfer of the edge stitches occurs on the one hand between the respective front main and rear auxiliary needle bed and on the other hand between the respective rear main and front auxiliary needle bed.
5. Process in accordance with any of the preceding Claims, characterised in that, following the re-transfer onto the main needle bed, the edge stitches are knitted-off simultaneously on the latter by a yarn guide.
6. Process in accordance with any of the Claims 1 to 4, characterised in that, following the re-transfer onto the main needle bed, the edge stitches are knitted-off separately on the respective front and rear main needle bed by different yarn guides.
7. Process in accordance with Claim 6, characterised in that, the edge stitches are knitted-off firstly on the rear main needle bed and then on the front main needle bed, or vice versa.
8. Process in accordance with Claim 6 or 7, characterised in that, following the knitting-off process, the edge stitches are thereafter transferred.
9. Process in accordance with any of the preceding Claims, characterised by the following method steps:

   a) the current edge stitch on the main needle bed is transferred to the currently associated auxiliary needle bed;

   b) the auxiliary needle beds are wracked by one needle in the direction of the adjacent needle of the main needle beds;

   c) the current edge stitch which has been transferred to the auxiliary needle bed is transferred back to the current main needle bed so that the edge stitch is located on one needle of the main needle bed together with the stitch adjacent to the edge stitch and

   d) the two needles of the two main needle beds are knitted-off with the currently re-transferred edge stitches.
10. Process in accordance with Claim 9, characterised in that, the auxiliary needle beds are moved back to the starting position and the method step a) to d) is repeated in accordance with the number of stitches that are to be knitted-off.
11. Process in accordance with any of the Claims 1 to 5, 9 or 10, characterised in that, the knitting-off of the needles of the two main needle beds having the currently re-transferred edge stitches is effected simultaneously by a yarn guide.
12. Process in accordance with any of the Claims 1 and 5 to 10, characterised in that, the knitting-off of the two needles of the two main needle beds having the currently re-transferred edge stitches is effected separately by different yarn guides for the front and rear main needle bed.
13. Process in accordance with any of the preceding Claims, characterised in that, following the knitting-off and the backward displacement of the auxiliary needle beds, the current edge stitches are thereafter transferred from the main needle beds to the auxiliary needle beds.
14. Process in accordance with any of the preceding Claims, characterised in that, the reducing process is effected from left to right or from right to left.
15. Process in accordance with any of the Claims 1 to 13, characterised in that, the reducing process is effected simultaneously from left to right and from right to left from the two sides of the knitting.

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