EP3115491B1 - Flat knitting machine - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a flat knitting machine with at least two needle beds, with at least one movable over the needle beds away, occupied with knitting scooters and a yarn feeding with arranged above the needle beds yarn guide rails, in which are arranged by the at least one slide mitbewegbare yarn guide.

Such flat knitting machines correspond to the usual state of the art for many years. Increasingly, however, higher demands are placed on the patterning and the design of knitted pieces. In order to Also increase the demands on the machines for the production of such knitted fabrics, in particular of intarsia crocheted or of plated fabrics.

Therefore, improvements have already been proposed in terms of yarn feeding, which help to meet the increased requirements. Thus, self-propelled yarn guides have been used, which can take any position in the needle room of a knitting machine during the knitting process. Next devices for thread insertion have become known, which can supply the knitting needles above and separately from the actual thread guides.

From the DE 43 08 251 A1 , of the DE 695 08 696 T2 , of the EP 872 587 B1 and the DE 695 03 831 T2 In addition knitting machines are known which have independently of the carriage movable thread guides that can be temporarily coupled to the carriage, or have the carriage movable thread guides that can be temporarily driven independently. However, these solutions are mechanically and control technically complex.

The US Pat. No. 5,615,562 discloses a special yarn guide which is self-propelled and can perform movements in and across the carriage direction.

The present invention has for its object to provide a flat knitting machine can be produced with the conventional knitted fabrics and knits with elaborate patterns or plated knitwear in a rational manner.

The object is achieved by a flat knitting machine with the features of claim 1.

The flat knitting machine according to the invention thus provides a combination of a conventional thread feed, in which the thread guides are taken by suitable means of the carriage, and carriage-independently driven thread guide, both concepts of thread feed retain their full functionality. This is advantageous over some of the yarn feeding devices mentioned above, which are a compromise between the two types of yarn feeding.

The advantages of such a combination of the drive concepts of yarn guides in a single machine are that complicated patterns such as intarsia or plating can be produced economically with the self-sufficient yarn guides, as these yarn guides can take any position in the needle room at any time, while knitted or knitted sections with conventional patterns can be efficiently produced with the sled-driven yarn guides.

Conveniently, each self-sufficient thread guide can have its own drive device in order to fully exploit the variability of the thread feed can. However, it is also possible to provide two or more self-sufficient thread guide with a common drive device.

In a first variant of the invention, the autarkic thread guide (s) are longitudinal in one or more separate thread guide rails slidably arranged. They can be moved in these rails over the entire length, without having to consider possible collisions with a guided by the slide yarn guide.

In this case, the yarn guide rails with mitbewegbaren from the carriage yarn guides and the yarn guide rails with autarkic yarn guides are alternately arranged parallel to each other above the needle beds to create similar conditions for the thread feed to the needles for both yarn guide types.

In a preferred embodiment of the flat knitting machine, four yarn guides are arranged in the yarn guide rails for self-sufficient yarn guides.

In the yarn guide rails for the carriage mitbewegbaren yarn guide eight yarn guides can be arranged in each case.

With this number of yarn guides also multi-colored patterns or patterns with different yarn qualities can be produced efficiently.

In an alternative embodiment of the flat knitting machine, the self-sufficient yarn guides and the co-moving with the slide yarn guide are arranged in common yarn guide rails. There are then fewer rails required than in a design with separate rails for the autarkic thread guide.

In this case, the self-sufficient yarn guide can be arranged in each case in one half of a rail and the movable mitführbaren by the carriage yarn guide in the other half of the rail. Alternatively, the
self-sufficient yarn guide and be moved by the carriage with movable yarn guide in at least one of the halves of the yarn guide rail together.

A further alternative consists in that at least one half of one or more thread guide rails has two superimposed tracks, one or more independent thread guides being arranged in one of the tracks and one or more thread guides being moved by the carriage in the other track. This has the advantage that the thread guides of both drive concepts can exploit the full length of the thread guide rail.

Also for the arrangement of the yarn guide rails above the needle beds there are various possibilities. In a first embodiment, the yarn guide rails are at least partially disposed in a common horizontal plane above the needle beds. However, it may also be advantageous to arrange the yarn guide rails at least partially on a section of an imaginary cylinder surface above the needle beds. The yarn guide arms are radially aligned with such an arrangement of the rails and all have the same shape and length, which allows for easier replacement and allows a more cost-effective and time-saving production.

The arrangements of the yarn guide rails described need not necessarily be symmetrical to the central axis of the knitting machine. Also asymmetric arrangements are conceivable.

In the flat knitting machine according to the invention, the threads can be fed laterally as is usual. However, the flat knitting machine may also have a carriage having an opening on the top has, are fed through the threads to the thread guides and further to the needles in the needle beds. In this solution can be dispensed with a whole series of Fadenleit- and thread tensioning elements, which are required for a lateral feed of the threads. Furthermore, the thread tension is reduced by reducing the friction points in such a thread feed.

Various embodiments of the yarn feeding of flat knitting machines according to the invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the drawing.

Fig. 1

einen Querschnitt durch eine erste Flachstrickmaschine;

Fig. 2

einen Querschnitt durch eine zweite Flachstrickmaschine;

Fig. 3a

eine schematische Ansicht auf Fadenführerschienen für autarke Fadenführer und für vom Schlitten mitbewegte Fadenführer;

Fig. 3b

eine schematische Ansicht einer ersten Fadenführerschiene mit autarken und vom Schlitten mitbewegbaren Fadenführern;

Fig. 3c

eine schematische Ansicht einer zweiten Fadenführerschiene mit autarken und vom Schlitten mitbewegbaren Fadenführern;

Fig. 3d

eine schematische Ansicht einer dritten Fadenführerschiene mit autarken und vom Schlitten mitbewegbaren Fadenführern;

Fig. 4a - 4d

schematische Darstellungen unterschiedlicher Anordnungen von Fadenführerschienen in einer Flachstrickmaschine.

Show it:

Fig. 1

a cross section through a first flat knitting machine;

Fig. 2

a cross section through a second flat knitting machine;

Fig. 3a

a schematic view of yarn guide rails for autarkic yarn guide and for moving along the carriage thread guide;

Fig. 3b

a schematic view of a first yarn guide rail with autarkic and movable by the carriage yarn guides;

Fig. 3c

a schematic view of a second yarn guide rail with self-sufficient and movable by the carriage yarn guides;

Fig. 3d

a schematic view of a third yarn guide rail with autarkic and mitbewegbaren by the carriage yarn guides;

Fig. 4a - 4d

schematic representations of different arrangements of yarn guide rails in a flat knitting machine.

Fig. 1 shows a flat knitting machine 100 with a front needle bed 10 and a rear needle bed 10 'in cross section. About the needle beds 10, 10 ', a carriage 20 is movable, are attached to the front and rear knitting locks 30, 30', with the knitting tools not shown here, which are stored in the needle beds 10, 10 ', can be controlled and moved , The two needle beds include a comb gap KS between them. This is located on a central axis M of the flat knitting machine 100.

Above the needle beds 10, 10 'and the comb gap KS yarn guide 40, 40' and 50, 50 'are mounted. The outer thread guides 40, 40 ', which are further away from the machine axis M, are conventional thread guides which can be moved by the carriage 20 via catching means, not shown here. The inner thread guides 50, 50 ', however, are self-propelled thread guides, which can thus be moved independently of the carriage 20. An up and down movement of the Fadenführerarms or the Fadenführernüsschen is possible. The arrangement of the yarn guides 40, 40 'and 50, 50' with respect to the stitch axis M is merely exemplary. The thread guides 50, 50 'could also be arranged outside or in alternation with the thread guides 40, 40'. In the illustrated example, the yarn guides 40, 40 'and 50, 50' are also arranged on a circular arc around the comb gap. However, they could also be in a common Horizontal just above the comb gap be arranged, as later with respect to Fig. 4 is clarified.

Fig. 2 shows one of the Fig. 1 corresponding sectional view through a second flat knitting machine 100 '. The machine 100 'differs from the machine 100 in the design of the carriage 20', which in contrast to the carriage 20 on its upper side has an opening 21, fed directly through the threads from above the yarn guides 40, 40 ', 50, 50' can be. A completely open top construction of the carriage 20 'is conceivable. The supply of the threads from above has the advantage that it is possible to dispense with thread deflection devices, thread guide elements and thread tension elements which are necessary when the threads are fed laterally to the thread guides 40, 40 ', 50, 50'. Furthermore, the thread tension is reduced by reducing the friction points in such a thread feed.

In the Fig. 3a - 3d various arrangements of the two types of yarn guides 40, 40 'and 50, 50' are shown in yarn guide rails. In Fig. 3a is a plan view of four yarn guide rails 61, 62, 63, 64 shown, with the carriage 20 mitbewegbare yarn guide 40, 40 'are exclusively in the yarn guide rails 61 and 64. For the self-sufficient thread guides 50, 50 'separate thread guide rails 62, 63 are provided.

The thread guides 40, 40 'have on their upper side recesses 41, in the not shown, coupled to the carriage 20 driving devices can engage when the thread guides 40, 40' to be moved.

In the example shown, eight thread guides 40, 40 'are arranged on the outer thread guide rails 61, 64, while only four self-contained thread guides 50, 50' are provided on the inner rails 62, 63.

Fig. 3b shows the example of a single yarn guide rail 60 a further possible division of the yarn guides 40, 40 ', 50, 50' with the various drive concepts. There are mounted on one of the halves of the yarn guide rail 60 only the carriage mitbewegbare yarn guide 40 and on the other half only self-sufficient yarn guide 50.

In Fig. 3c on the other hand, a yarn guide rail 60 'is shown, are arranged in one half of both the carriage mitbewegbare yarn guide 40 and self-sufficient yarn guide 50, while only in the other half mitbewegbare yarn guide 40 are provided.

In Fig. 3d 5 shows a single yarn guide rail 60 ", in which both the carriage co-moving yarn guides 40 and self-sufficient yarn guides 50 are arranged on the one half of the thread guides of the two drive concepts are mounted one above the other.The principle can be used on one or both halves of the yarn guide rail ,

The Fig. 4a - 4d schematically show various possibilities of arranging the yarn guide rails on the carriage 20 with the knitting locks 30, 30 'of the flat knitting machine 100th

In Fig. 4a the rails are arranged on an imaginary cylinder surface, so that the thread guide therein (not shown), the in Fig. 1 shown, to the center axis M inclined position take. In Fig. 4b however, the rails 61 'to 64' are all in one common arranged horizontally. Fig. 4c shows a combination of the arrangements of the Fig. 4a and 4b , The inner yarn guide rails 62 ", 63" are arranged in a common horizontal plane and the outer yarn guide rails 61 "and 64" on an imaginary cylinder surface.

In Fig. 4d the rails are arranged asymmetrically on an imaginary cylinder surface, so that the thread guide therein (not shown) also the in Fig. 1 shown, to the center axis M inclined position take. Other variants of the asymmetrical arrangement of the yarn guide rails with respect to their number and in the Fig. 4a - 4c shown arrangements are possible.

Claims (10)

1. Flat knitting machine with at least two needle beds (30, 30'), at least one carriage (20) movable over the needle beds (10, 10') and equipped with knitting cams (30, 30'), and a yarn infeed device with yarn guide rails (60, 60', 61-64) arranged above the needle beds, wherein yarn guides (40, 40'), movable with the carriage (20), are arranged in said rails, wherein the yarn infeed device also has at least one autonomous yarn guide (50, 50') driven independently of carriage (20), wherein the at least one autonomous yarn guide (50, 50') is arranged to be movable longitudinally in one or more separate yarn guide rails (62, 63), characterised in that the yarn guide rails (61, 64) with yarn guides (40, 40') movable by the carriage and the yarn guide rails (62, 63) with autonomous yarn guides (50, 50') are arranged alternately parallel to each other above the needle beds (10, 10') or that the autonomous yarn guides (50, 50') and the yarn guides (40, 40'), movable by the carriage (20), are arranged in common yarn guide rails (60, 60').
2. Flat knitting machine according to claim 1, characterised in that each autonomous yarn guide (50, 50') has its own drive device.
3. Flat knitting machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that four yarn guides (50, 50') are arranged respectively in the yarn guide rails (62, 63) for autonomous yarn guides (50, 50').
4. Flat knitting machine according to any one of claims 1 - 3, characterised in that eight yarn guides (40, 40') are arranged respectively in the yarn guide rails (61, 64) for yarn guides (40, 40') movable by carriage (20).
5. Flat knitting machine according to claim 1, characterised in that the autonomous yarn guides (50, 50') are arranged respectively in one half of a rail (60) and the yarn guides (40, 40') movable by carriage (20) are arranged in the other half of the rail (60).
6. Flat knitting machine according to claim 1, characterised in that the autonomous yarn guides (50, 50') and the yarn guides (40, 40') movable by carriage (20) are jointly arranged in at least one of the halves of the yarn guide rail (60').
7. Flat knitting machine according to claim 6, characterised in that at least one half of one or more yarn guide rails has two tracks arranged one over the other, wherein, in one of the tracks, one or more autonomous yarn guides and in the other track, one or more yarn guides movable by the carriage are arranged.
8. Flat knitting machine according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the yarn guide rails (61' - 64', 62", 63") are arranged at least partly in a common horizontal plane above the needle beds (10, 10').
9. Flat knitting machine according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the yarn guide rails (61 - 64, 61", 64") are arranged at least partly on a section of an imaginary cylindrical surface above the needle beds (10, 10').
10. Flat knitting machine according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the carriages (20) have an opening (21) on the upper side, through which yarn can be fed from above to the yarn guides (40, 40', 50, 50') and then to needles in the needle beds.

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