JP2021172911A - Flat-knitting machine - Google Patents

Abstract

CONSTITUTION: A flat-knitting machine comprises an article insertion device having a holding portion that can move on a yarn feeding rail and insert an article into a knitted fabric by holding and releasing the article. The holding portion can move so as to avoid interference with other yarn feeder moving on the yarn feeding rail and feeds the article from an article feeder to the article insertion device.EFFECT: A flat-knitting machine has an article insertion device capable of inserting an article into a desired position in a knitted fabric, and can avoid interference between the article insertion device and other yarn feeder and feed the article to the article insertion device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a flat knitting machine including a device for inserting an article into a knitted fabric.

It is convenient to be able to insert RFID yarn, strip-shaped interlining, compressed cushion material, etc. into the knitted fabric using a flat knitting machine. As a device for inserting an article into a knitted fabric, there is one described in Patent Document 1 (US7246508B). The article inserting device of Patent Document 1 inserts a color stay (a stay for a collar), takes out the color stays in the cartridge one by one, and inserts the color stays into the knitted fabric by pushing them out. However, since the article insertion device of Patent Document 1 cannot be moved, the color stay can be inserted only at a fixed position.

US7246508B

In order to make the article insertion device of Patent Document 1 movable so that the article can be inserted at a desired position, it is conceivable to move the article along, for example, a thread feeding rail. However, since the article insertion device of Patent Document 1 is large and bulky, it cannot be arranged on the yarn feeding rail, and a dedicated rail is required. Further, in Patent Document 1, in order to take out the color stay from the cartridge, it is necessary to stop the flat knitting machine for replenishment. As a result, the flat knitting machine becomes large and the knitting becomes inefficient.

An object of the present invention is to provide a flat knitting machine capable of inserting an article into a desired position in a knitted fabric and further supplying an article to the article inserting device.

The present invention is a flat knitting machine for knitting a knitted fabric by supplying knitting yarn to needles on a needle bed from a yarn feeder traveling on a yarn feeding rail.
It is provided with a carrier capable of moving the yarn feeding rail or a rail parallel to the yarn feeding rail, and a holding portion provided at the lower part of the carrier and capable of inserting the article into the knitted fabric by grasping and releasing the grip of the article. The article insertion device and
An article supply device capable of supplying an article to a position where the article insertion device can be gripped is provided, and the article insertion device is configured to move to the position for gripping the article.

In the present invention, the article inserting device is moved along the yarn feeding rail of the flat knitting machine, and a holding portion that can freely grip and release the article is provided at the lower part of the article inserting device, so that the article can be moved to a desired position in the knitted fabric. Goods can be inserted.

The article inserted in the knitted fabric may float and may not be stably inserted in the desired position. Therefore, it is preferable that the article inserting device is provided with a pushing means for pushing the article inserted in the knitted fabric downward to stabilize the pushing position of the inserted article downward in the knitted fabric. For example, the pushing means is provided with a mechanism for lowering the holding portion from the holding position of the article, and the holding portion is also used as the pushing means.

When the long side direction of the article is parallel to the yarn feeding rail or the like, there is little interference with other yarn feeders, and the article can be accurately inserted into the knitted fabric. Therefore, preferably, the holding portion holds the article so that the long side direction of the article is parallel to the yarn feeding rail.

Preferably, the article inserting device includes an elevating member provided on the carrier, the holding portion is closed by lowering the elevating member to grip the article, and the grip is released by ascending to insert the article into the knitted fabric. Is preferable. By raising and lowering the elevating member, the article can be grasped and released.

More preferably, the holding portion comprises a pair of grip pieces having an article holding position at the bottom and a pair of pins projecting from an upper position of the article holding position of each grip piece, and the carrier has a pair of pins. It has a pair of cam grooves that guide and face each other, and the distance between the pair of cam grooves that face each other is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom. Expand and release the grip. In this way, the article can be easily and surely gripped and released by raising and lowering the grip piece.

Most of the articles to be inserted are thread-like or band-shaped, such as RFID-mounted threads and cushioning materials. Filamentous or strip-shaped articles are preferably supplied from cones, bobbins, reels and the like. Therefore, preferably, the article supply device is provided with a base that moves horizontally below the needle bed, an elevating portion that is supported by the base and elevates, a grip that can be opened and closed and a cutter that is supported by the elevating portion, and a grip portion. It is equipped with a supply unit for goods. In this way, the elevating part is raised, the article is gripped by the grip part, and the article is pulled out for the required length by horizontal movement. Then, after the article is gripped by the article insertion device, the article is cut with a cutter. As a result, the thread-like or strip-shaped article can be supplied to the article insertion device without being cut to a desired length in advance.

Front view of the flat knitting machine of the embodiment Front view of the article insertion device used in the embodiment Vertical exploded view of the article insertion device used in the examples Side view of the main part of the article insertion device of the modified example The figure which shows the article supply apparatus used in an Example. Perspective view of a jig for inserting a chip-shaped article

The optimum examples for carrying out the invention are shown below.

1 to 6 show the flat knitting machine 2 of the embodiment and its modification. In the following, the parts provided in the normal flat knitting machine will be briefly described, and the article insertion device 10 and the article supply device 12 will be mainly described. The controller 3 controls the flat knitting machine 2, particularly the article insertion device 10 via the carriage 6, and also controls the article supply device 12. The flat knitting machine 2 includes, for example, a pair of front and rear needle beds 4, 4, in which the area where the knitting needles are arranged is the knitting area 5, and the knitted fabric 7 is knitted. The knitted fabric 7 is knitted by both the front and rear pair of needle beds 4 and 4, and the article is inserted into the knitted fabric 7.

An article supply device 12 is provided at one end of the needle beds 4 and 4 in the longitudinal direction and between the needle beds 4 and 4, and the article is supplied to the article insertion device 10. An article insertion device 10 and a yarn feeder (not shown) are carried along, for example, a carriage 6 and move along the thread feeding rail 8 on the upper part of the needle bed 4 or a dedicated rail parallel to the rail 8. The article insertion device 10 and the yarn feeder may be self-propelled. There is a top plate 9 at the top of the flat knitting machine 2, a cone of knitting yarn (not shown) is arranged, and the yarn is fed to the yarn feeder. Further, the cone 14 supplies an article 16 such as an RFID thread in which RFID is set at a predetermined pitch or a band-shaped cushioning material, and the feeding device 15 supplies the article to the article supply device 12. In the embodiment, the article 16 is a thread-like body, and elements such as RFID 17 are provided at a predetermined pitch. The element may be a part where the thickness of the filament changes, a part where the color changes, and the like. The article 16 is gripped so that its long side direction is parallel to the needle bed 4 and therefore parallel to the knitted fabric 7, the article 16 can be reliably inserted into the knitted fabric 7, and the article 16 is another yarn feeder or the like. Do not interfere with. When the article 16 is a coin type or the like, its diameter direction is parallel to the needle bed 4.

2 and 3 show the article insertion device 10. The lower end portion 27 of the article insertion device 10 is located in the gap between the pair of needle beds 4 and 4, and the gripping position A for gripping the article 16 is drawn with a solid line and lowered to the release position B for raising and releasing the article 16. The pushing position C for pushing the article 16 in the knitted fabric downward is indicated by a chain line. At the release position B, the lower end 27 rises from the needle bed 4 to avoid interference with other yarn feeders.

Reference numeral 20 denotes a carrier, which is moved along the yarn feeding rail 8 by the roller 21. The carrier 20 includes an elevating rod 22, and the follower 23 at the upper end thereof is pushed by the cam 30 of the carriage to descend, and the lower end portion 27 is lowered to the gripping position A. The carriage is provided with, for example, a solenoid 31, and the cam 30 can be further lowered to the lowering position 32 indicated by the chain line. Then, the lower end portion 27 descends to the pushing position C. In the embodiment, the entrainment of the article insertion device 10, the lowering of the lower end portion 27 to the gripping position A, and the lowering to the pushing position C are controlled by the cam 32, but they may be controlled by separate cams. When the urging member 25 for urging the elevating rod 22 upward in the vertical direction is provided and the cam 30 is not operated, the follower 23 ascends to the ascending position 24 indicated by the chain line.

Holding portions 26, 26 having a pair of grip pieces 26a, 26a are swingably attached to the shaft 36 at the lower end of the elevating rod 22. Further, a pair of left and right pins 28 are provided at a position above the lower end portion 27 at the lower portion of the grip piece 26a. Further, for example, a groove 34 is provided immediately above the lower end of the grip piece 26a to hold the article 16. The article 16 may be sandwiched between the grip pieces 26a and 26a without providing the groove 34. In this specification, the left and right sides are parallel to the longitudinal direction of the needle bed 4.

A pair of left and right cams 29, 29 are provided in the lower part of the carrier 20, and each cam 29 is provided with a pair of front and rear cam grooves 35, 35, and the distance between the cam grooves 35, 35 is wide in the upper part in the vertical direction and narrow in the lower part. In this specification, the front and back are the directions connecting the front surface and the back surface of the flat knitting machine 2. FIG. 3 shows the grip pieces 26a and 26a at the gripping position A, the elevating rod 22 is pushed down by the cam 30 of the carriage, and the pin 28 is located in the lower part of the cam groove 35 with a narrow space. As a result, the grip pieces 26a and 26a come into contact with each other and grip the article 16 in the groove 34.

From the state of FIG. 3, when the elevating rod 22 rises, the pin 28 is guided by the cam groove 35, the grip pieces 26a and 26a swing so as to increase the distance from each other, and the article 16 is released at the release position B to release the article 16. release. The released article 16 falls into the knitted fabric.

The lower end portion 27 of the grip piece 26a can be lowered from the state shown in FIG. 3 to the pushing position C by the solenoid 31 or the like shown in FIG. At this time, since the distance between the cam grooves 35 and 35 remains narrow, the grip pieces 26a and 26a do not open. Then, the lowered lower end portion 27 pushes the article 16 in the knitted fabric downward to stabilize the position.

When the grip pieces 26a and 26a are raised to the release position B, the lower end portion 27 of the grip piece 26a can be retracted from the uppermost portion (tooth opening) of the gap between the needle beds 4 and 4. Then, the grip piece 26a does not prevent another yarn feeder (not shown) from feeding the knitting yarn and moving the needle of the needle bed 4 forward and backward to operate the knitting yarn. If the grip piece 26a does not retract from the tooth opening, it is necessary to retract it from the area where the article insertion device 10 is knitted by the carriage. On the other hand, in the embodiment, when the carriage releases the entrainment of the article insertion device 10, the elevating rod 22 rises and the grip piece 26a retracts.

The article insertion device 10 may be self-propelled without being taken by the carriage 6. Further, instead of operating the article insertion device 10 by the carriage 6, the article insertion device 10 may be provided with a power supply and a controller to operate autonomously. Further, a compressed air pipe may be provided for pushing the article 16 and pushed by the air flow. Further, a mechanical mechanism for pushing may be provided separately from the grip piece 26a. The grip piece 26a is not limited to rising and retracting, and may swing back and forth, for example, to retract.

FIG. 4 shows a holding portion 38 used in the article insertion device of the modified example. The fixing member 39 is fixed to the carrier of the article insertion device (similar to FIGS. 2 and 3), has a protrusion 40 at the lower end, and mounts the article 16. The upper surface of the protrusion 40 is inclined so that the article 16 can fall. For example, the elevating member 41 is connected to the lower end of the elevating rod 22 in FIGS. 2 and 3, and has a closing portion 42 at the lower end. Allow 16 drops. Further, it is preferable that the fixing member 39 can swing back and forth in the flat knitting machine with the closing portion 42 raised so that the article 16 can be placed on the inclined surface on the upper surface of the protrusion 40.

FIG. 5 shows an article supply device 12. In the embodiment, the feeding device 15 is composed of a pair of driving rollers, but the article 16 may be fed from a side tension device or the like. An article supply device 12 is provided below one end of the needle bed 4 and at a position outside the knitting area 5. 44 is a motor, 45 is a feed screw, and 46 is a bearing, which causes the base 48 to move horizontally. The base 48 supports the elevating part 50, and the elevating part 50 moves up and down by the same screw mechanism or the like.

The elevating portion 50 is provided with a grip portion 51 on the feeding device 15 side and a cutter 52 on the knitting region 5 side. Then, at the position where the elevating part 50 is raised, the article inserting device 10 can grip the article 16 gripped by the gripping part 51, and at the position where the elevating part 50 is lowered, the article inserting device 10 does not interfere with the gripping part 51 and the cutter 52. .. Both the grip portion 51 and the cutter 52 are composed of a pair of members that open and close in the front-rear direction in the present specification. The grip portion 51 closes the pair of members to grip the article 16, and the cutter 52 closes the pair of members. The article 16 is cut into pieces. The sensor 54 detects the RFID 17 or the like set in the article 16, and determines the type of the sensor 54 according to the type of the element to be detected.

The operation of the article supply device 12 will be described. First, it is assumed that the grip portion 51 grips one end of the article 16 and the elevating portion 50 is in the ascending position. The base 48 moves to the side where the article 16 is pulled out, and after the sensor 54 detects the RFID 17, the article 16 is further pulled out by a predetermined length (step 1). In the embodiment, during this time, the feeding device 15 supports the gripping portion 51 to pull out the article 16.

Next, the article insertion device 10 moves to a predetermined position and grips the article 16 at a predetermined position with reference to the RFID 17 (step 2). In order to prevent the article insertion device 10 from interfering with the grip portion 51 and the cutter 52, when they cross, the grip piece of the article insertion device 10 is raised or the elevating portion 52 is lowered. When the article insertion device 10 grips the article 16, the grip portion 51 is opened to release the article 16.

After that, the base 48 moves to the feed device 15 side by a predetermined distance with reference to the RFID 17 of the article 16 held by the article insertion device 10, the elevating portion 50 rises, and the article 16 is lifted by the grip portion 51. To grasp. The article 16 is then cut by the cutter 52 (step 3). As a result, the article 16 for the length to be inserted is held in the article insertion device.

When the pitch of the RFID 17 on the article 16 is longer than the length at which the article insertion device 10 inserts the article 16, the article insertion device 10 that has inserted the article 16 into the knitted fabric and returned is made to grip the tip of the article 16 and the article 16 is inserted. 16 is pulled out continuously. When the sensor 54 detects the RFID 17, the article supply device 12 is moved to a predetermined position such as near the tip of the antenna of the RFID 17, and the article 16 is gripped and cut. After that, the gripping by the article insertion device 10 is released, and the unnecessary portion is sucked and discarded by the suction device provided at the longitudinal end portion of the needle bed or the like. Then, steps 1 to 3 are executed.

If it is a thread-like or strip-shaped article, it can be pulled out from the cone 14 by the article supply device 12 and gripped by the article insertion device 10 as described above. In the case of an article 61 having a certain shape such as a chip shape and not easily deformed, the article 61 is supplied to the article insertion device 10 by the jig 60 or the like shown in FIG. The mechanism of FIG. 6 is also an example of an article supply device.

Articles 61 are set on the jig 60 at intervals, and the jig 60 can move forward and backward in the direction of the arrow in the figure (perpendicular to the needle bed and at right angles in the horizontal plane). The grip pieces 26a and 26a of the article insertion device are lowered to grip the article 61. The following operation is the same as in the case of the article 16, the article inserting device is moved to a predetermined position, the grip pieces 26a and 26a are opened, the article 61 is inserted, the grip pieces 26a and 26a are closed and the article 61 is further lowered. Is pushed into the knitted fabric. As an example other than the jig 60, a box containing a large number of articles 61 is provided at one end in the longitudinal direction of the needle bed, and a conveyor is provided to advance and retreat in the short side direction of the needle bed (front-back direction of the flat knitting machine). An article supply device that automatically supplies articles at a predetermined pitch may be used.

2 Flat knitting machine 3 Controller 4 Needle bed 5 Knitting area 6 Carriage 7 Knitted fabric 8 Thread feeding rail 9 Top plate 10 Article insertion device 12 Article supply device 14 Cone 15 Feeding device 16 Article 17 RFID
20 Carrier 21 Roller 22 Lifting rod 23 Follower 25 Biasing member 26 Holding part 26a Grip piece 27 Lower end part 28 Pin 29 Cam 30 Cam 31 Solenoid 32 Groove 34 Shaft 35 Cam groove 38 Holding part 39 Fixing member 40 Protrusion 41 Lifting member 42 Closed Part 44 Motor 45 Feed screw 46 Bearing 48 Base 50 Elevating part 51 Gripping part 52 Cutter 54 Sensor 60 Jig 61 Article

Claims (6)

In a flat knitting machine that knits a knitted fabric by supplying knitting yarn to the needles of the needle bed from a yarn feeder running on a yarn feeding rail.
It is provided with a carrier capable of moving the yarn feeding rail or a rail parallel to the yarn feeding rail, and a holding portion provided at the lower part of the carrier and capable of inserting the article into the knitted fabric by grasping and releasing the grip of the article. The article insertion device and
An article supply device capable of supplying an article to a position where the article insertion device can be gripped, and the article insertion device is configured to move to the position for gripping the article. Flat knitting machine. The flat knitting machine according to claim 1, wherein the article inserting device includes a pushing means for pushing the article inserted into the knitted fabric downward. The flat knitting machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the holding portion holds the article so that the long side direction of the article is parallel to the yarn feeding rail. The article inserting device includes an elevating member provided on the carrier, and the holding portion is closed by lowering the elevating member to grip the article, and the grip is released by ascending to insert the article into the knitted fabric. The flat knitting machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the flat knitting machine is configured. The holding portion includes a pair of grip pieces having an article holding position at the bottom and a pair of pins protruding from the upper position of the article holding position of each grip piece.
The carrier comprises a pair of cam grooves that guide and face a pair of pins.
The distance between the pair of cam grooves facing each other is wide at the upper part and narrow at the lower part. The flat knitting machine according to claim 4. The article is thread-like or strip-like
The article supply device includes a base that moves horizontally below the needle bed, an elevating portion that is supported by the base and elevates, and an openable / closable grip portion and a cutter that are supported by the elevating portion.
The flat knitting machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a portion for supplying an article to the grip portion.

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