JP4348286B2 - Flat knitting machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a flat knitting machine such as a four-bed flat knitting machine having a two-stage needle bed on at least one side before and after facing each other across at least the tooth opening.

  Conventionally, in flat knitting machines, a knitting operation is performed in which a large number of knitting needles arranged in parallel on the needle bed advance and retreat into the tooth opening, and the knitting yarn supplied to the tooth opening is drawn to form a stitch loop. is doing. Parallel needle grooves are formed in the needle bed, and the knitting operation of the knitting needles is guided by the needle grooves. The knitting needle is slidably displaced in a direction to advance and retreat with respect to the tooth opening in the needle groove, and is supported on the side surface of the needle groove in a direction orthogonal to this direction. However, since the knitting yarn is applied during the knitting operation, the tip side of the knitting needle is exposed from the needle groove. The tip side facing the tooth opening at the needle bed is required to widen the opening so that the knitting needle does not hinder the drawing of the knitting yarn, and the needle groove cannot be formed to the tip side. Therefore, in a state where the knitting needle used for forming the stitch loop has the tip advanced to the tooth opening, a lot of portions that are not supported laterally by the needle groove are exposed.

  A prior art is known in which protrusions are provided to support the side of the knitting needle at the tip side of the needle bed having a wide frontage (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this prior art, the knitting needles at both ends of the knitting width are pulled inward by the knitted fabric, respectively, and project from the center of the needle bed symmetrically from the center of the needle bed to the side corresponding to the inner side in the width direction. Is provided to restrict the bending of the knitting needle.

  There is also known a prior art in which a guide groove for accommodating the lower part of the knitting needle is provided on the most distal side of the needle bed (see, for example, Patent Document 2). This prior art is a two-bed flat knitting machine in which the front and back needle beds face each other across the mouth, and each knitting needle is provided with a spring plate on one side. A sinker is placed between the knitting needles on each needle bed, and the lower part of the knitting needle is formed with a guide groove that forms a lateral load applied to the knitting needle by the knitting yarn to a depth that does not contact the jumping plate during knitting work. Receive and support. The guide groove is provided to prevent bending of the knitting needle by preventing the knitting needle from bending due to a lateral load applied to the knitting needle by the knitting yarn and causing a knitting accident or collapse of the knitting structure.

  In the flat knitting machine, a four-bed flat knitting machine is also used in which needle beds of two upper and lower stages are provided at the front and rear (see, for example, Patent Document 3). In a four-bed flat knitting machine, the knitted fabric can be knitted by combining the lower needle beds in the front and rear, the rear lower and front upper needle beds, or the front lower and rear upper beds in combination. A variety of knitted fabrics can be knitted as compared with a two-bed flat knitting machine. However, as shown in FIG. 3 of Patent Document 3, the distance between the tips of the upper needle bed at the tooth opening is wider than the distance between the tips of the lower needle bed.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 42-6263 JP 9-49153 A Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 1-57173

  Even a four-bed flat knitting machine as shown in Patent Document 3 can perform side support similar to that of a two-bed needle bed with respect to the knitting needle of the lower needle bed. For example, a projection similar to that in Patent Document 1 can be provided at the tip of the needle bed to support the side of the knitting needle. However, in the upper needle bed, the distance between the tips facing the tooth opening is wider than the distance between the tips of the lower needle bed, so that it is difficult to support the knitting needles sideways with protrusions.

  Further, since the tip position of the needle bed is separated from the tooth opening on the upper side, for example, when performing knitting with the upper needle bed, the hook at the tip of the knitting needle is placed on the needle bed side facing the center of the tooth opening. Even if the knitting needle is retracted to form a stitch loop after being advanced and supplied with the knitting yarn, the tip of the knitting needle protrudes from the tip of the needle bed. In such a state, the lateral support for the knitting needle holding the stitch cannot be sufficiently performed.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a flat knitting machine that can sufficiently support a lateral load on a knitting needle of an upper needle bed even if it has two upper and lower needle beds on the same side facing the mouth. Is to provide.

The present invention provides a flat knitting machine in which at least one of the front and back needle beds facing each other across the mouth is provided with two upper and lower stages.
A plurality of knitting needles that perform knitting operation by moving back and forth from the lower needle bed to the mouth of the lower needle bed of the two-stage needle bed, and from the upper needle bed to the mouth of the mouth A plurality of fixed sinkers that act as sinkers for both of the plurality of knitting needles that advance and retreat and perform knitting operations are provided,
The fixed sinker faces the side surface in a state where the knitting needle of the lower needle bed does not interfere with the knitting operation in which the knitting needle of the lower needle bed advances and retreats with respect to the tooth opening and the knitting needle of the upper needle bed advances with respect to the tooth opening. The flat knitting machine is characterized in that a protrusion is provided at a position that protrudes toward the side surface of the knitting needle that advances from the upper side needle bed to the tooth opening.

In the present invention, in the two-stage needle bed, each knitting needle and each fixed sinker are alternately arranged,
The protrusions may be provided on both side surfaces of each fixed sinker.

Further, in the present invention, the knitting needle that performs knitting operation by moving forward and backward from the lower needle bed to the mouth is provided with a slider including two blades having a tongue formed at the head portion on the mouth opening side independently of the needle body. A compound needle that can move forward and backward with respect to the mouth and opens and closes the hook of the needle body with a blade of the slider,
The protrusion of the fixed sinker is provided with an inclination that reduces the amount of protrusion when the protrusion is away from the mouth, and the inclination guides the blade tip of the composite needle on the lower needle bed.

  In the present invention, the fixed sinker also has a side support function for the knitting needles of the lower side needle bed.

  According to the present invention, at least one of the front and back needle beds of the flat knitting machine has two upper and lower needle beds, and a plurality of fixed portions are provided on the mouth side portion of the lower needle bed. A sinker is provided. The fixed sinker acts as a sinker with respect to the knitting needle that performs the knitting operation by moving back and forth from the lower needle bed and the upper needle bed to the tooth opening. The fixed sinker faces the side surface where the knitting needle of the lower needle bed does not interfere with the knitting operation in which the knitting needle of the lower needle bed advances and retreats with respect to the tooth opening and the knitting needle of the upper needle bed advances with respect to the tooth opening. At the position, a protrusion protruding toward the side of the knitting needle that advances from the upper needle bed to the tooth opening is provided, and when the knitting needle is bent by receiving a load on the side, it is possible to suppress large bending. . Since the protrusion only protrudes to the side of the knitting needle, unlike a penetrating material such as a wire rod, there is little interference with the knitting needle, etc., and it should be provided near the tooth opening to effectively support the knitting needle. Can do.

  According to the present invention, a fixed sinker is disposed between a plurality of knitting needles arranged in parallel on each needle bed, and protrusions are provided on both side surfaces of each fixed sinker. Since the protrusions protrude from the fixed sinkers on both sides toward the respective knitting needles, large bending can be suppressed by the protrusions with respect to any load on both sides of the knitting needles.

  Further, according to the present invention, for example, when the slider of the compound needle disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3379947 is advanced to the tooth opening, the tips of the two blades are guided to an inclination connected to the protrusion protruding from the fixed sinker, The opening to the side of the blade can be reduced. The blade tip can be reliably guided even when the slider is manually moved forward / backward for maintenance of the flat knitting machine, or when the slider moves away from the route of the cam that drives the slider. In other words, if there is no inclination, it is possible to prevent an accident that damages the tip of the blade.

  According to the present invention, the fixed sinker can simultaneously perform the side support for the knitting needle of the lower needle bed and the side support for the knitting needle of the upper needle bed.

  FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a four-bed flat knitting machine 1 as an embodiment of the present invention in a cross section near the tooth mouth 2. In the four-bed flat knitting machine 1, the front needle bed 3 and the rear needle bed 4 that are opposed to each other with the mouth 2 interposed therebetween have upper needle beds 3a and 4a and lower needle beds 3b and 4b, respectively. In the following description, the components that are paired in the front-rear direction with the tooth mouth 2 interposed therebetween are indicated by an odd number on the front side and an even number on the rear side. In the upper and lower equivalent components, a is added to the upper stage side and b is added to the lower stage side, but a and b may be omitted when referring generically.

  A plurality of upper needle plates 5 and 6 are erected on the upper needle beds 3a and 4a, respectively. A plurality of lower needle plates 7 and 8 are erected on the lower needle beds 3b and 4b, respectively. In the four-bed flat knitting machine 1, the upper needle beds 3a and 4a are supported by extending the portions near the mouth of the lower needle plates 7 and 8 erected from the lower needle beds 3b and 4b. Fixed sinkers 9 and 10 are respectively attached to the front end portions of the lower needle beds 3b and 4b facing the tooth mouth 2 from the mouth mouth 2 side. The fixed sinkers 9 and 10 have knitting needle support protrusions 11 and 12, and can support the knitting needles of the upper needle beds 3 a and 4 b from the side with the tooth opening 2.

  Tooth tip wires 13 and 14 penetrate the tip portions of the fixed sinkers 9 and 10 facing the mouth opening 2. It is preferable to use a hard metal wire such as a piano wire for the mouthpiece wires 13 and 14. The fixed sinkers 9 and 10 are fixed by being hooked on sinker hooking wires 15 and 16 penetrating through portions of the lower needle beds 3b and 4b near the tooth opening 2. Bands 17, 18; 19, 20 pass through the lower needle plates 7, 8 and the upper needle plates 5, 6 to perform positioning. The gap between both sides of the upper needle beds 3a and 4a and the lower needle beds 3b and 4b and the upper needle plates 5 and 6 and the lower needle plates 7 and 8 is a needle groove, accommodates the knitting needle, and advances and retracts to the tooth mouth 2 Guiding sliding displacement.

  In the four-bed flat knitting machine 1 of FIG. 1, compound needles 21a, 22a; 21b are respectively provided on the upper needle beds 3a, 4a and the lower needle beds 3b, 4b of the front needle bed 3 and the rear needle bed 4 as knitting needles. , 22b are arranged. Such compound needles 21a, 21b; 22a, 22b are disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent No. 3379947. In each compound needle 21a, 22a; 21b, 22b, needle bodies 23a, 23b; 24a, 24b and sliders 25a, 25b; 26a, 26b are combined, and the sliders 25, 26 are independent of the needle bodies 23, 24. The sliding displacement is possible. Hooks 31a, 31b; 32a, 32b are formed at the tips of the needle bodies 23, 24. The sliders 25 and 26 open and close the hooks 31 and 32 by relative displacement with respect to the needle bodies 23 and 24. Instead of such compound needles 21 and 22, a latch needle may be used.

  The fixed sinkers 9 and 10 are also provided with support portions 33 and 34 for supporting the needle bodies 23b and 24b of the lower needle beds 3b and 4b laterally. In the lower needle plates 7 and 8, the portions closer to the tooth opening 2 than the upper needle beds 3 a and 4 a are the support portions 35 and 36 that support the needle bodies 23 a and 24 a on the upper needle beds 3 a and 4 a side. Function.

  FIG. 2 shows, in plan view, a simplified configuration of the vicinity of the mouth 2 relating to the front needle bed 3 of the four-bed flat knitting machine 1 of FIG. The front needle bed 3 and the compound needle 21 are inclined so that the side of the mouth 2 is higher. In the four-bed flat knitting machine 1, the rear needle bed 4 has basically the same configuration, and therefore the matters described for the front needle bed 3 apply to the rear needle bed 4 as well. Is done. The compound needle 21 is provided with two blades 37 and 38 at the tip of the slider 25 so as to sandwich the hook 31 of the needle body 23 from both sides. Thus, the slider 25 in which the tip of the blade is separated is transferred to the tooth opening 2 rather than the hook 31 as disclosed in, for example, FIGS. 2 to 28 of the Japanese Patent No. 291746. It can be used for Other examples of such compound needles include the European Patent Application Publication No. 1302581 (EP1302581A1) and the No. 1233093 (EP12303093A1).

  FIG. 2A shows the upper needle bed 3a. In the upper needle bed 3a, it is not sufficient that the vicinity of the tip of the lower needle plate 7 functions as the support portion 35 as a side support for the needle body 23a of the compound needle 21a. By forming the knitting needle support protrusion 11 on the fixed sinker 9, it can be sufficiently supported at a position close to the tooth opening 2. As shown on the left side of FIG. 2A, when the compound needle 21a is pulled in to form a new loop 40 of the stitch, the old loop 41 held by the slider 25a is closed by a hook 31a by the slider 25a. As a result, the stitches of the knitted fabric that come off the compound needle 21a and knitted from the tooth mouth 2 are formed. For example, when the stitch at the knitting width end of the knitted fabric is pulled toward the knitted fabric center side, the knitting yarn 42 connected to the old loop 41 is placed on the knitting needle supporting projection 11 at the time of knockover. Can also serve as a knockover assist.

  Further, the knitting yarn to be drawn in as the new loop 40 is pulled so as to be drawn into the hook 31a from the tip of the fixed sinker 9 because the tip of the fixed sinker 9 holds between adjacent knitting needles. Even when the knitting yarn is a bundle of a plurality of thin yarns, the knitting yarn can be received on the knitting needle support protrusion 11 so as not to fall into the side surface of the knitting needle.

  FIG. 2B shows the lower needle bed 3b. The knitting needle support protrusion 11 of the fixed sinker 9 is provided at a position where it does not interfere even if the needle body 23b of the compound needle 21b advances into the tooth opening 2. However, the inclination 39 is effective when the slider 25b advances into the tooth opening 2 during manual operation such as maintenance or when the slider 25b moves away from the route of the cam that drives the slider 25b. That is, as shown on the right side, the tips of the blades 37 and 38 are guided by the slope 39 provided on the side away from the tooth opening 2 by the knitting needle support protrusion 11, thereby preventing an accident such as breakage. Since the protrusion 11 and the slope 39 protrude in an island shape, the space around the hook 31b can be widened. Thus, there is a margin even when the knitting yarn is pulled in, and the knitting yarn hanging on the hook 31b can be prevented from coming into contact with the surroundings. In addition, in the state where the needle main body 23b advances to the tooth mouth 2, if the support part 33 is provided in the fixed sinker 9, the side can be supported. In addition, the mouthpiece wire 13 also acts effectively on the compound needle 21b, and assists in knocking over.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of a sinker member 50 that can be used as the fixed sinkers 9 and 10 of FIGS. FIG. 3A is a plan view, and FIG. 3B is a front view. The fixed sinkers 9 and 10 form a sinker loop on the knitted fabric at the tip portion of the plate-like top 51. A through hole 52 is formed in the vicinity of the tip of the plate-like top portion 51, and the tooth wire 13 and 14 shown in FIGS. The plate-like top portion 51 is formed at the tip of a mounting portion 53 that is formed in an arcuate shape. A latching portion 54 is formed near the tip of the mounting portion 53 and can be positioned by hanging on sinker hooking wires 15 and 16 penetrating near the tips of the lower needle beds 3b and 4b. The curvature of the mounting portion 53 is provided along the outer shape of the lower surface side of the lower needle beds 3b and 4b. A fixing portion 55 is formed at the base end of the mounting portion 53 and has a through hole 56. The fixing portion 55 can be fitted into a recess provided in the lower surface of the lower needle beds 3b, 4b, and a sinker fixing wire 60 described later can be passed through the through hole 56.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the plate-like top portion 51 is thinner than the mounting portion 53. However, the portions of the knitting needle support protrusions 11 and 12 have the same thickness as the mounting portion 53. Such a shape can be formed by cutting a plate having the thickness of the mounting portion 53. Alternatively, a plurality of plate materials can be bonded together. Further, the fixed sinkers 9 and 10 may be configured such that only the distal end that functions as a sinker protrudes into the tooth opening 2 by attaching the base end portion to the needle groove.

  FIG. 4 schematically shows a configuration in a wider range than that of FIG. 1 for the four-bed flat knitting machine 1. The fixed sinkers 9, 10 are fixed to the lower needle beds 3b, 4b through the sinker fixing wires 60, 61. The knitting operations of the needle bodies 23 and 24 and the sliders 25 and 26 of the compound needles 21 and 22 are controlled by cams mounted on a carriage that moves along the front needle bed 3 and the rear needle bed 4. A yarn feeder for supplying knitting yarn is provided above the mouthpiece 2 and moves along with the carriage. In the four-bed flat knitting machine 1, the front and back needle beds are divided into the lower needle beds 3b and 4b, the front upper needle bed 3a and the rear lower needle bed 4b, and the front lower needle bed 3b and the rear upper needle bed. The knitted fabric can be knitted with each combination of the needle beds 4a.

  FIG. 5 shows a state in which the needle body 23a is retracted in FIG. The positions of the knitting needle support protrusions 11 and 12 are within the range through which the needle bodies 23a and 24a of the upper needle beds 3a and 4a pass, and even if the sliders 25b and 26b of the lower needle beds 3b and 4b pass, FIG. Except for the guidance of the tips of the blades 37 and 38 as described in (1), the range is set so as not to cause interference.

  FIG. 6 shows that the knitting needle support protrusion 11 and the mouth wire 13 act equally on the front needle bed 3 shown on the left side with respect to assisting knockover from the compound needles 21a and 21b. Knock-over assistance is performed by pulling the old loop over the sliders 25a and 25b on the knitting needle support protrusion 11 and the tooth wire 13 downward. The positional relationship between the knitting needle support protrusion 11 and the slider 25a and the positional relationship between the mouth wire 13 and the slider 25b are relatively equal, and assistance for knockover can be performed equally.

  Although the above description is about the four-bed flat knitting machine 1 in which two stages of needle beds are opposed to each other before and after the mouth 2, it is sufficient that at least one side has two stages. That is, the present invention can be similarly applied to a flat knitting machine in which at least one of the front and back needle beds facing each other with the tooth mouth 2 interposed therebetween has two upper and lower stages. Of the two-stage needle bed, the lower needle bed 3b, 4b has a plurality of knitting needles that perform a knitting operation by moving back and forth from the lower needle bed 3b, 4b to the tooth opening 2, and an upper needle bed 3a. , 4a may be provided with a plurality of fixed sinkers 9, 10 that act as sinkers for both of the plurality of knitting needles that advance and retract from the mouth 2 to perform the knitting operation. In the fixed sinkers 9 and 10, the knitting needles of the lower needle beds 3 b and 4 b do not interfere with the knitting operation in which the knitting needles of the lower needle beds 3 b and 4 b advance and retreat with respect to the tooth opening 2, and the knitting needles of the upper needle beds 3 a and 4 a What is necessary is just to provide the knitting needle support protrusions 11 and 12 which protrude toward the side surface of the knitting needle which advances from the upper stage needle beds 3a and 4a to the tooth mouth 2 in the position which faces the side surface of the state which advances. Even if the knitting needle that advances from the upper needle bed 3a, 4a to the mouth 2 receives a load on the side, the knitting needle support projections 11, 12 of the fixed sinkers 9, 10 are in contact with and supported, so that large bending is suppressed. The Since the knitting needle support protrusions 11 and 12 only protrude to the side of the knitting needle, unlike a penetrating material such as a wire rod, the knitting needle support protrusions 11 and 12 have little interference with the knitting needle and the like, and are provided at a position close to the mouth 2 to Support can be effectively performed.

  Further, it is not always necessary to provide all the knitting needle support protrusions 11 and 12 for a plurality of knitting needles. Since the side load acting on the knitting needle is increased on the side end side of the knitting width, the stitch that requires assistance for the side load is on the end side of the knitting width. Therefore, the knitting needle support protrusions 11 and 12 do not have to be provided at positions that are often near the center of the knitting width on the needle bed. However, in a position where the knitting needle support protrusions 11 and 12 are not provided, it is necessary to prevent a large lateral load from being generated, and thus knitting is restricted. If the knitting needle support protrusions 11 and 12 are provided in the front part of the needle bed, it is possible to prevent restrictions on knitting.

  The tip portion of the needle bed also contributes as an aid when the old loop of the stitch knocks over the new loop during knitting. The knitting needle that has advanced to the mouth and received the knitting yarn on the hook moves backward from the mouth and forms a new loop of the stitch while drawing the knitting yarn. The old loop of the stitch that has been knitted first is pulled by a knitted fabric that is knitted at the mouth so as to get over the hook of the knitting needle and come off the hook. The knitted fabric connected to the old loop of the stitch is pulled to the tip portion of the needle bed and changes its direction downward at the tip portion. If a hard member such as a piano wire is attached to the tip portion of the needle bed separately from the needle bed, the friction of the knitting yarn at the tip portion of the mouth is reduced and the knock-over is facilitated.

  However, the tip of the upper needle bed is farther away from the mouth than the lower needle bed, so a wire such as a piano wire is provided on the upper side to help knock over the knitting needle. Even so, the upper and lower knitting needles must be arranged at positions that do not interfere when they advance into the mouth. In order to enable an arrangement to prevent interference, the upper needle bed must also be arranged away from the lower needle bed. When the distance between the upper and lower needle beds is increased, the filling performance in the opposing upper and lower needle knitting is significantly reduced. For this reason, a wire such as a piano wire cannot be passed through the upper end portion. The stitches that require the assistance of knockover are on the end side of the knitting width, and the stitches are pulled sideways toward the center of the knitting width, so that even the protrusion protruding from the side of the knitting needle can provide sufficient knockover assistance. It can be carried out.

It is sectional drawing which shows the schematic structure of the vicinity of the tooth mouth 2 of the 4 bed flat knitting machine 1 as one Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a simplified configuration in the vicinity of the mouth 2 of the front needle bed 3 of the four-bed flat knitting machine 1 of FIG. 1 divided into an upper needle bed 3a side and a lower needle bed 3b side. It is the top view and front view which show the example of the sinker member 50 which can be used as the fixed sinkers 9 and 10 of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows roughly the structure of the range wider than FIG. 1 about the 4-bed flat knitting machine 1. FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the state in which the needle | hook main body 23a is drawn in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows that the knitting needle support protrusion 11 and the mouthpiece wire 13 act equally regarding the assistance of the knock over from the compound needles 21a and 21b about the front needle bed 3 shown on the left side.

Explanation of symbols

1 Four-bed flat knitting machine 2 Tooth mouth 3 Front needle bed 4 Rear needle bed 3a, 4a Upper needle bed 3b, 4b Lower needle bed 5, 6 Upper needle plate 7, 8 Lower needle plate 9, 10 Fixed sinker 11, 12 Knitting needle support protrusions 21a, 21b; 22a, 22b Compound needles 23a, 23b; 24a, 24b Needle bodies 25a, 25b; 26a, 26b Sliders 31a, 31b; 32a, 32b Hooks 33, 34, 35, 36 Support portions 37, 38 Blade 50 sinker member

Claims (4)

At least one of the front and back needle beds facing each other across the mouth is in a flat knitting machine having two upper and lower stages,
A plurality of knitting needles that perform knitting operation by moving back and forth from the lower needle bed to the mouth of the lower needle bed of the two-stage needle bed, and from the upper needle bed to the mouth of the mouth A plurality of fixed sinkers that act as sinkers for both of the plurality of knitting needles that advance and retreat and perform knitting operations are provided,
The fixed sinker faces a side surface in a state where the knitting needle of the lower needle bed does not interfere with the knitting operation in which the knitting needle advances and retreats with respect to the tooth opening, and the knitting needle of the upper needle bed advances with respect to the tooth opening. A flat knitting machine characterized in that a protrusion is provided at a position that protrudes toward the side of the knitting needle that advances from the upper side needle bed to the tooth opening. In the two-stage needle bed, each knitting needle and each fixed sinker are alternately arranged,
The flat knitting machine according to claim 1, wherein the protrusions are provided on both side surfaces of each fixed sinker. The knitting needle that performs knitting operation by moving forward and backward from the lower needle bed to the mouth is provided with a slider including two blades having a tongue formed at the head portion on the mouth side, independent of the needle body. It is a compound needle that can move forward and backward, and opens and closes the hook of the needle body with the blade of the slider,
The protrusion of the fixed sinker is provided with an inclination that reduces the amount of protrusion when the protrusion is away from the mouth, and the inclination guides the blade tip of the composite needle on the lower needle bed. Flat knitting machine.   The flat knitting machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the fixed sinker also has a function of side support with respect to a knitting needle of the lower side needle bed.

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