EP1785517B1

EP1785517B1 - A yarn clamping method

Info

Publication number: EP1785517B1
Application number: EP05110538A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Po-Hao Su
Original assignee: Pai Lung Machinery Mill Co Ltd
Current assignee: Pai Lung Machinery Mill Co Ltd
Priority date: 2005-11-09
Filing date: 2005-11-09
Publication date: 2012-09-19
Anticipated expiration: 2025-11-09
Also published as: PL1785517T3; EP1785517A1

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a knitting machine having a yarn clamp assembly that is installed onto the knitting machine to enhance the fixation of the bottom of additional yarns.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

As the knitting techniques advance, various different fabrics such as towel fabrics are produced for our use. The soft surface and strong water absorbability function of the towel fabrics are the reasons why the towel fabric are used extensively in daily products. Many knitting methods primarily use a normal knitting method to introduce yarns with additional effects to form a soft surface as disclosed in R.O.C. Pat. Publication Nos. 300565 , and 388416 and 345204 filed by the inventor of the present invention. These patents disclose a wrap knitting method and a counter wrap knitting method to knit a single knitted towel fabric structure to produce a loop with soft surface. As we all know, the surface of the towel fabric is comprised of many loops which are different from the base fabric.
The bottoms of these loops are fixed into the base fabric when the base yarns forming the base fabric are knitted, and another end of the loop is a free end so that the surface becomes soft and more water can be absorbed. However, the towel fabric has a shortcoming in that the loops will be loosened from the base fabric and damage the towel fabric if the loop is pulled. Therefore, the prior art adds glues on the base fabric to increase the coupling strength between the loop and the base fabric. However, such a towel fabric is not applicable for our daily use that requires a direct contact of the towel fabric with our skin.
As more attention is paid to the environmental protection nowadays, furs which are welcome by most ladies are banned due to public opinions. Therefore, the textile industry tries to find a substitute to meet the consumer's requirement, and such substitute method uses a counter wrap knitting method to knit a loop having a surface similar to that of a towel fabric, and then cuts the loop into independent yarns by means of a cutter, and thus the yarn so produced is very similar to the surface of the fur regardless of its appearance or touch. This method has been disclosed in R.O.C. Pat. Publication Nos. 208294 and 235625 , and the counter wrap knitting method used for knitting a fabric having yarn wools with an appearance similar to furs has the advantage that its yarn wool will not fall off easily.
However, it is not easy to implement the counter wrap knitting method. On the other hand, the wrap knitting method can be implemented more easily, but has a problem that the yarn will fall off easily.
In summation to the description above, the fabric regardless of the loop of the towel fabric or the artificial fur woven by the wrap knitting method may be damaged easily because both comprise loops or independent yarns with its bottom not wrapped securely into the base fabric by the base yam. If the fabric is made by a gluing method or a counter wrap knitting method, then the same issue as described above will exist.
Since the knitting technology cannot be broken through, therefore the length of the foregoing loop or yarn wool is limited (to approximately 3mm). If a consumer (such as one who loves long furs) needs longer loops or longer yarn wools, then the present technology cannot meet the consumer's requirement. Finding a way of fixing the foregoing loop or yarn wool by a wrap knitting method and increasing the length of the loop and the yarn wool are an important subject for manufacturers in the related field to solve.
US 6,735,987 B2 discloses a circular knitting machine having a yarn clamp assembly according to the preamble of claim 1, comprising knitting needles and sinkers for the production of plush fabrics. Each of a plurality of knitting systems has a means for controlling the knitting needles into a knock-over position and pattern devices arranged in front of this means. The first pattern device is provided with a ground-thread guide and serves for selectively controlling the knitting needles into a knitting or tucking position intended for the pick-up of ground thread or a noun-knitting position intended for the non-pick-up of ground thread. A second pattern device provided with a plush-thread guide serves for selectively controlling the knitting needles into a pick-up position intended for the pick-up of plush thread or an intermediate position intended for the non-pick-up of plush thread. Furthermore, a third pattern device is provided for selectively controlling the sinkers at least into a first position intended for the formation of shorter plush-thread loops or a second position intended for the formation of longer plush-thread loops. The configuration of the yarn clamp assembly is, however, relatively complex.
GB 2 289 479 A discloses circular knitting machine for knitting pile fabric for weaving a fabric having yarn wools with an appearance similar to furs. In this knitting machine, dial needles are provided on a dial and matching with cylinder sinkers, so that there is always only one dial needle associated with one cylinder sinkers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to further enhance a circular knitting machine having a yarn clamp assembly enabling the fixing of the loop or yarn wool by a wrap knitting method and increasing the length of the loop in a simple and cost-effective manner.
This problem is solved by a circular knitting machine having a yarn clamp assembly according to claim 1. Further advantageous embodiments are the subject-matter of the dependent claims.
According to the present invention the yarn clamp assembly comprises a plurality of sinkers forming a plurality of needle spaces between the sinkers and a set of first and second knitting needles disposed in each of the needle spaces, the plurality of sinkers being transversally and separately disposed from the set of first and second knitting. When the two knitting needles knit the bottom surface, the base yarn forms two fixing loops coupled on the wool yam, so as to enhance the fastening effect of the loop at the bottom surface.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a fabric having a cut pile surface, so that the cut pile has a good fastening effect. A sinker forming a loop includes a cutter for cutting the loop to produce yarn wool, and the yarn wool is fixed onto the bottom by fixing the loop by the foregoing yarn clamp assembly of the knitting machine.
A further objective of the present invention is to add the foregoing loop or yarn wool. The length of the base fabric is extended to increase the distance between the needle disc and the sinker cylinder of the knitting machine, so that the distance of the vertices of the base fabric and the loop is increased, and the length of the loop or yarn wool is increased.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG 1 is a schematic view of the appearance of the invention;
FIG 2 is a schematic view of the actions of the invention;
FIG 3 is a schematic side view of the invention;
FIG 4 is schematic view of a preferred embodiment of the invention; and
FIG 5 is a schematic enlarged view of a fixed loop of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE REFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 5 respectively for the perspective view, the action, the lateral view and the enlarged view of fixing a loop according to the present invention, the yarn clamp assembly of a knitting machine knits a fabric having a loop on a side by a wrap knitting method and comprises a plurality of sinkers 20 transversally and separately disposed on the sinker cyinder 2, and the plurality of sinkers 20 form a plurality of needle spaces among them, such that a needle disc 1 disposed on the knitting machine comprises a plurality of knitting needles such as the first and second knitting needle 10, 11 disposed in each of the needle space. Each knitting needle includes a needle hook 101, 111 serving as a yarn clamping section for hooking the yarn back and forth. The yarn includes a wool yarn 3 formed on the loop surface and a base yarn 4 formed on the fabric base of the fabric. The wool yarn 3 is hooked by the first knitting needle 10 and the second knitting needle 11 on both sides of the sinker 20 at a circular position of the wool yarn and coupled to the sinker 20 to form the top of the loop 30.
The wool yarn 3 is further hooked at a circular position of a base yarn by the first knitting needle 10 and second knitting needle 11 in the needle spaces and hooked to the wool yarn 3 to hook the base yarn 4 and form two fixing loops B of the wool yarn 3 and the bottom of the loop 30 as shown in FIG. 5.
Referring to FIGS. 2 and 5 for the detailed flow chart of the actions and the action of fixing the two fixing loops B to the base fabric, the needle disc 1 drives the plurality of first and second knitting needles 10, 11 to move during the action, and the sinker cylinder 2 drives the plurality of sinkers 20 to move, so that the first and second knitting needles 10, 11 repeat the hooking of yarns back and forth at the needle spaces of two adjacent sinkers 20. In the beginning of a knitting process step, two loops 30 can be formed, and two adjacent sinkers 20 and four adjacent knitting needles 10, 11 of the two sinkers 20 are considered as a knitting opening. After two loops 30 are formed according to the aforementioned method, the wool yarn 3 hooked by the first knitting needle 10 and the second knitting needle 11 at the external knitting opening are woven into the base fabric with the full needle method by the base yarn 4, and the wool yarn 3 hooked by the first knitting needle 10 and the second knitting needle 11 disposed at the internal side of the knitting opening is knitted into the base yarn 4 to form two fixing loops B similarly by the full needle method, and the two fixing loops B have the effect of fixing the two loops 30 onto the base fabric.
Referring to FIG 3 for the structure of the yarn clamp assembly of a knitting machine effecting a wrap knitting, a latch 102, 112 of the first and second knitting needles 10, 11 is guided to the needle hook 101, 111 including the base yarn 4, such that the base yarn 4 and the wool yarn 3 form a wrap knitting status by pressing the base yarn 4 onto the wool yarn 3. The foregoing two fixing loops B improve the connecting strength of the loop 30 formed by the wrap knitting method with the base fabric. Therefore, if the loop 30 is pulled by external forces it has a solid bottom structure to prevent the fabric structure from being damaged.
Referring to FIG. 4 for another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the foregoing yarn clamp assembly of the knitting machine can attach the bottom of the loop 30 to the base fabric of the fabric and will not be loosened easily, so that the yarn clamp assembly can be applied to the wrap knitting method to knit a fabric with cut piles 31 as shown in FIG 4, so that the bottom of the cut piles 31 produced by the wrap knitting method can be secured onto the fabric base of the fabric.
To form the cut piles 31, a cutter 5 is installed at the lateral side of the sinker 20 for cutting the top of the loop 30, and the bottom of the loop 30 is connected securely by the two fixing loops B, and then the sinker 20 continues its movement. The cutter 5 cuts the loop 30 situated at the top of the sinker 20 to form the cut pile 31. This method is used to produce the cut piles 31 of the fabric. Since the bottom of the cut pile 31 is secured by the two fixing loops B into the fabric base of the fabric, the connecting structure of the two will be increased greatly, and a fabric is produced having cut piles 31, which are less prone to loosen.
FIG. 4 shows a schematic view of a further preferred embodiment of the present invention. To increase the length of the foregoing loop 30 or cut pile 31 to meet the requirements, the gap A between the needle disc 1 and the sinker cylinder 2 is increased, so that the distance between the second hooking yarn point and the sinker 20 formed at the top of the loop 30 is increased, and the distance between the bottom of the loop 30 and the top of the loop 30 is increased correspondingly (as described above, the loop 30 is cut and processed by the cutter 5 to produce cut piles 31), and the loop 30 or cut pile 31 of approximately 15mm long is produced.
While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms of a preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto.
To the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements and procedures, and the scope of the appended claims therefore should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements and procedures.

Claims

A knitting machine having yarn clamp assembly, being installed onto said knitting machine and using a wrap knitting method to knit a fabric having a loop (30) on one side, and said yarn clamp assembly comprising:
a plurality of sinkers (20) forming a plurality of needle spaces between said sinkers (20), characterized by

a set of first and second knitting needles (10, 11), disposed in each of said needle spaces, the plurality of sinkers (20) being transversally and separately disposed from the set of first and second knitting needles (10, 11);

a needle hook (101, 111) of said first and second knitting needles (10, 11) for hooking a wool yarn (3) at a circular position to form a loop (30) on said sinker (20) between said sets of first and second knitting needles (10, 11);

said first and second knitting needles (10, 11) also being capable of hooking a base yarn (4) such that the base yarn (4) is formed on said fabric base of said fabric and hooked at a circular position where said wool yarn (3) is hooked by said first and second knitting needles (10, 11) to thereby form two fixing loops (B) for said wool yarn (3).
The knitting machine of claim 1, wherein said plurality of sinkers (20) are installed at a sinker cylinder (2) of said knitting machine, and said first and second knitting needles (10, 11) are installed onto a needle dial (1) of said knitting machine.
The knitting machine of claim 2, wherein said sinker cylinder (2) and said needle dial (1) have a distance apart and corresponding to the length of said loop (30).
The knitting machine of any of claims 1 to 3, wherein said first and second knitting needles (10, 11) respectively include a needle latch (102, 112) for guiding said base yarn (4) into said needle hook (101, 111) by said needle latch (102, 112).
The knitting machine of any of claims 1 to 4, wherein a cutter (5) is disposed on a lateral side of said sinker (20), for cutting said loop (30) of said wool yarn (3), when the bottom of said loop (30) is connected by said two fixing loops (B), for forming a cut pile surface.