JP6911027B2 - Methods, devices, and system components for forming loops - Google Patents

Description

Various types of knitting machines are well known. The most important types of these knitting machines include circular knitting machines, weft knitting machines, and warp knitting machines.

The knitting machine usually includes at least one needle bed to support the knitting tool. The needle bed of a circular knitting machine is often referred to as a "cylinder" because of its cylindrical shape. As used herein, the term "needle bed" means any type of device that supports a knitting tool, regardless of its shape, whether flat, cylindrical, or any other shape.

Knitting tools are, for example, needles, sinkers, and so on. The knitting tool is the part that is directly involved in the loop forming process of the knitting machine and is therefore in contact with the yarn. The thread is gripped, guided or pressed by various knitting tools. In this specification, all knitting tools are referred to as "system components".

One special system component is the slider needle. A slider needle is disclosed in German translation No. 69803142 of the European Patent Gazette. The shape of each slider is U-shaped in a plane orthogonal to the movement of the slider. As a result, the two legs of the U-shaped slider partially wrap the needle shaft portion of the needle as each slider moves on the needle. It can also be said that any leg portion of the slider is arranged between the needle shaft portion of the needle and the adjacent needle or needle shaft portion when each slider moves on the needle. During the knitting process, the needle shaft and the slider move relative to each other. This causes the slider to temporarily close the thread opening in the hook or carry the loop along the needle shaft. During this time, the slider comes into contact with the thread on a regular basis.

During the knitting process, different types of system components operating on different types of knitting machines move relative to at least one type of needle bed. These relative movements within the groove of the needle bed raise some of the problems that most modern knitting machines have.

A high frictional load between the system component and the needle bed, or even sticking in the groove of the system component occurs. Friction causes wear of system components and needle beds and also produces unwanted heat in the knitting machine.

German Patent Application Publication No. 102013104189 describes the problem of sticking in the groove of the sinker caused by the non-longitudinal component of the movement of the sinker's butt. In this document, it is proposed to use two sinkers of different lengths in one common groove to solve this problem.

European Patent Application Publication No. 0672770 discloses a flat knitting machine for knitting tubular knitted fabrics. In one of the disclosed knitting machines, two needles are used in one common groove. These needles are provided with a transfer element as a wing. Although it is described in this document that a spacer may be required to prevent the needles from interfering with each other caused by the transfer element, there is no detailed description about the spacer itself and its operation mode.

German Patent Application Publication No. 331,361 discloses a knitting machine including a needle and a sinker for loop formation, in which the needle and the sinker move in the same longitudinal direction. The knitting machine includes a first needle tube located in the lower region of the knitting machine, where the needles are supported in the groove. The needle used has a very long shaft so that the hook is always far outward in the upward direction of the needle barrel. Above the needle barrel is an additional needle barrel to support the sinker. The sinker is shorter than the needle. The above-mentioned long shaft portion of the needle is on the trick wall of the groove of the needle barrel for the sinker, and thus between the sinkers. Needle and sinker loop forming means (hooks, push-down edges, knockover edges) commonly extend within the area where the knitting machine loops are formed. This area is located above the needle barrel for the sinker. As a result, the needle and the sinker are guided at least partially individually in the groove portion, and the friction is reduced as compared with the configuration in which the needle and the sinker are guided only in the common groove portion.

German Patent Application Publication No. 19740985 discloses a recess on the flat side of the knitting needle or on the wall of the groove of the needle bed. This recess is provided only in a specific area of the side surface, not the entire length of the side surface of the knitting needle. As a result of these means, the area of the contact surface of the above elements in the knitting process is reduced. This reduces energy consumption and heat generation in the knitting machine.

European Patent Application Publication No. 1860219 discloses a knitting needle with a relatively thin shaft. In some figures of this document, the needle is placed diagonally on the needle bed so that only one of the two top corners of the needle cross section and the opposite bottom corner contact the needle groove. It is shown that Again, the area of the contact surface is reduced, resulting in reduced system energy consumption. Therefore, heat generation is also reduced.

Other patent documents disclose knitting machines in which the side surfaces of the shafts of adjacent needles come into contact with each other (side-by-side needles). German Patent No. 610511 discloses two types of very similar needles. Both types of needles include a thick and stable rear (in the width direction of the needle), at which the butt of the needle is provided. The difference between the two types of needles is that the rear of the needles in the first group is longer than the needles in the other groups. The front supporting the hooks of both types of needles is relatively thin and of the same length. In the needle bed disclosed in this document, a portion of the narrow anterior portion of each needle is guided into its respective slot in the needle bed. The longer type of needle surrounds the group of shorter type of needles. The rear end of the longer type of needle is further guided by each slot. The sides of the thick rear part of the adjacent needle are in contact with each other. German Patent No. 610511 aims to reduce the cost of grinding common long needle grooves in the needle bed, and these long grooves correspond only to relatively small portions of the needle length, as described above. It will be replaced with the slot that was used. However, this document does not teach a suitable knitting machine for the requirements of modern knitting processes. When the needle bed disclosed in German Patent No. 610511 is used at modern knitting speeds, the needles may bend. Therefore, the needle wears excessively or sticks in each slot.

International Publication No. 2012/05/5591 discloses a knitting machine configured for the following purposes. They are high gauge, low manufacturing cost, and low energy consumption. The document also discloses two groups of needles that come into contact with each other during the knitting process (side-by-side needles). The rear parts of these needles are arranged within the coupling needle groove so that the side portions of these needles are in contact with each other. Within its anterior portion, the needle groove is branched so that the anterior portions of the two needles on the needle bed are separated from each other. As a result, the front of each needle is bent during its longitudinal movement. This fact contributes to wear and energy consumption. In addition, it is not easy to bend a needle with a thick shaft.

International Publication No. 2013/041380 discloses a knitting machine with an improved drive cam for the side-by-side type needles disclosed in International Publication No. 2012/055591. This knitting machine can be manufactured at a lower cost and can also produce high quality knitted fabrics. However, the teachings of this document have the same drawbacks as described above.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for forming a loop, which reduces energy consumption and heat generation of a knitting machine.

The above object is achieved by a method according to claim 1, an apparatus according to claim 3, and a system component according to claim 14.

Most lube forming methods, including the present invention, use a plurality of needles to form each loop. Typically, a typical loop forming method involves more than 100 needles. One feature of the loop forming method of the present invention is that there is at least one groove including at least two system components. The number of system components in one groove may be 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or more. As used herein, the term "system component" means a knitting tool with loop forming means such as hooks or latches. The loop forming means comes into contact with the knitting yarn (or also referred to as a yarn) and actively contributes to the loop forming method. Therefore, the loop forming means is preferably involved in loop forming for at least a certain period of time in the loop forming step. Such system components are commonly referred to as needles (or knitting needles), or sinkers.

In the methods of the invention, so-called spacers or spacing means are used to adjust the distance between the loop forming means of two adjacent system components that move within one groove or are housed in one groove. Will be done. Therefore, the term "spacer" is a functional expression and means not only additional components, but also preferably integrated parts formed as one component with the shaft of each system component.

However, the spacer does not participate in the loop forming step or avoids the loop forming step. In most cases, the distance between the loop forming means of the two adjacent system components is the distance along the second direction (x) corresponding to the width direction of the groove. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that this second direction is purely linear with respect to the flat knitting machine. However, the movement of system parts of a circular knitting machine can be described in cylindrical coordinates (r, φ, z). Therefore, the circumferential direction component (φ) is included in the width direction of the groove portion. However, in the present specification, the width direction of the groove of all types of knitting machines is indicated by "x".

As mentioned above, in the space between the loop forming means of two adjacent system parts, there is no loop forming means belonging to or driven by the same groove or the same needle bed system part. As a result, the distance adjusted by the spacer is the width of the free space (or extension along the second direction (x)) between the loop forming means of the two adjacent system components of one needle bed. .. Contained in the same groove or moved within the same groove, or in a broader sense, driven by a system component housed in the same (first) needle bed, or one of its system components. The loop forming means, which is a part, does not interfere with this space. On the other hand, loop forming means of another second needle bed, which is oriented in another groove or, more broadly, in a different direction, interferes with this space and forms a loop in the first needle bed. May work with loop forming means. For example, the first needle bed may contain knitting needles and the second needle bed may contain sinkers. This sinker interferes with this space in order to push down on the previously formed loop and allow the needle to form a new loop.

However, even in this case, the distance adjusted by the spacer does not have the same groove or the same needle bed system component, so the above definition applies. Generally, the grooves of the first and second needle beds need to have different directions so that the system components and grooves of the second needle bed can cooperate as described above. Therefore, another definition of the "distance" of the space defined by this distance is that there is no loop-forming means within this space or loop-forming region that reaches this space by moving along the same direction. can.

The spacer described above moves with at least one of the two adjacent system components described above. The expression "moving together" here means that the relative velocity between the spacer and at least one corresponding system component is zero. It is also possible to actively move the spacer in this way. However, it is also possible to combine these two elements (spacers and system components) in any way to prevent them from moving with each other. Each joint allows power to be transmitted between the spacer and the system component. Most advantageously, this joint can maintain the amount of power required for the movement of either the spacers or their respective corresponding system components. Each joint can be formed in several ways. The joint may be tuned to maintain a different amount of power. As another definition of this feature, a spacer can also be said to be non-rearrangeable or immobile with respect to the system component to which it is attached. The spacer is a part of the system component and may be integrated into the system component.

The spacer and the corresponding first system component to which the spacer moves together move at least temporarily within a portion of the groove, and within that portion, the second of the two system components adjacent to the spacer. System components make mechanical contact with each other. Most preferably, the length of one or more portions of the spacer and the spacer of the second system component and / or the second system component of the two adjacent system components in contact with each other is the length of the system component. Is equal to 70%, 80%, 90%, or 95% of the length of the. It is even more advantageous if only the spacer and the system component are components that move in their respective corresponding groove portions within the groove.

Another method is to provide multiple locations or regions on the sides of the system components to adjust the distance between the system components (these locations or regions are also referred to herein as "spacers"). Such a group consists of at least two elements, more preferably at least three elements. Therefore, these locations are "raised" in the x direction with respect to the sides. In this case, the distance between the two locations with the maximum distance (along the y direction) of multiple locations on one side is at least 50%, 60%, 70%, 80% of the length of the system component. , 90%, or 95% is advantageous. In embodiments where one system component has the above-mentioned types of locations or regions, it is necessary to provide smooth and / or flat sides on adjacent sides of the other adjacent system component. It is also advantageous if the thickness of the spacers (ie, the plurality of locations or regions) is equal to or slightly greater than the thickness of the corresponding knitting (system) parts, respectively. The thickness referred to here means an extension of the spacer in the x direction.

It is even more advantageous if the z-direction extension of the spacer (spacer height) is equal to at least 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, or 90% of the height of the shaft of the system component. Most advantageously, the height of the spacer (ie, a group of places or areas) is equal to the height of the shaft of the system component to which the spacer is fixed. Advantageously, the two adjacent system components are knitting needles. It is also advantageous, especially for knitting machines or knitting processes, when two adjacent system components include bats that slide through the same cam trajectory during the knitting process. It is also advantageous if the location or area is welded onto the shaft. If the spacer consists of a small area or region, the y-direction distance between the start position of the first location or region and the end position of the last location or region is the length of the system component (length in the y direction). It is advantageous if it is equal to at least 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, or 95%.

Another method is to provide corresponding locations or areas on both adjacent system components. In this case, this location or area is located at different parts of the longitudinal extension of the two system components, or has flat sides, even when the sides are in contact with each other or mechanically. The two system components are movable to each other.

In another embodiment, two spacers are placed between two adjacent system components. The first spacer is coupled to the first system component of the two system components, and the second spacer is coupled to the second system component of the two system components. In this case, the two spacers may come into mechanical contact with each other. However, depending on the position and shape of the spacer, at least one spacer may mechanically come into contact with the other system component and / or other spacer to which the spacer is not attached.

Advantageously, the needle bed has a plurality of grooves parallel to each other. In most cases, the term "temporary" means at least a period of time between loop forming steps.

Generally, the distance between the loop forming means of two adjacent system components in one groove needs to be related to the gauge of the corresponding knitting machine. This distance is at least half the width of the loop forming means of the system component and, better yet, the total width of the loop forming means. In most current knitting machines, the system components perform longitudinal periodic motions due to their relative movement of the corresponding needle bed to the cam holder. System components and spacers inserted into the groove of the needle bed are provided with butt. This bat protrudes from the needle bed. The relative movement of the needle bed with respect to the cam holder described above forces the bat to move along the cam trajectory formed by the cam. This movement provides the force for the movement of system components and spacers within each groove. A circular knitting machine usually includes a cam holder fixed to the frame of the knitting machine. Weft knitting machines often use cam holders that are part of a carriage that moves relative to the needle bed. In both cases, the cam holder and needle bed move relative to each other.

Advantageously, the loop forming means of the adjacent system components of one needle bed move and reach their respective extremum points in the longitudinal direction with a specific delay. This delay corresponds to the mechanical distance of the loop forming means of the two adjacent system components. Most advantageously, this distance (and thus the corresponding delay) is relevant to the gauge. Therefore, the distance between the loop forming means of two adjacent system components adjusted by the spacer needs to be within the range from half the width of the loop forming means of the system component to the entire width.

As used herein, the term "first velocity (vk)" means the relative velocity between the needle bed and the frame of the knitting machine that supports the cam. The system component of the needle bed usually performs a periodic motion in the longitudinal direction (y). This motion is similar to harmonic vibration, and the system components reach the minimum and maximum points (extreme points) of the longitudinal position during this motion. It is advantageous when two adjacent system components reach their respective extremums with a time delay. In embodiments with good performance, this delay should be greater than half of the first index and, more advantageously, equal to the first index. The first exponent is the quotient of the distance along the second direction between the loop forming means of two adjacent system components divided by the first velocity. In particular, in a high-speed loop forming method, it is advantageous when the delay is equal to the first exponent. In a highly preferred embodiment, it can be said that the distances between the extreme points of the cam trajectories of adjacent system components are the same and all loop forming means have the same pitch (see below).

Another feature is the distance along the x direction between the loop forming means, adjusted by at least one spacer. This distance is within the same range as or substantially the same as the width of the shaft portion of the system component (needle). This range may start at 0.7 times the width of the shaft. However, if this factor is 0.9 or 1, it is advantageous.

An embodiment in which two system components have only one spacer and the spacer is fixedly coupled to one of two adjacent system components has the following advantages.
At least one specially molded system component to which a spacer is attached or contains a spacer may be a "first system component", while a second system component is a "standard needle". In other words, it may be a needle that can be included in the current product. The thickness of the specially formed needle may be twice or 1.5 times the thickness of the "standard" needle.

If there are two spacers between two adjacent system components in one groove, these two spacers can build the distance in different ways.

The distance along the second direction between the loop forming means of at least two system parts is at least one distance along the second direction of the loop forming means of the two other adjacent system parts of the needle bed. If it is equal to, it is advantageous. At this time, these two other system components are separated by an immovable wall in the groove of the needle bed. This means that all the distances between the loop forming means of the adjacent system components of one needle bed can be made equal. Regardless of whether the distance is adjusted primarily by the spacer or by the immovable wall of the groove, the needle bed or system component may have other parts that contribute to the distance.

The system components coupled to the spacers can be manufactured from the same members as the spacers. The "spacer" may be one (or more) bends in the shaft of the system component to which the spacer is coupled. In this case, the "bend" is any kind of deviation from a uniform extension of the shaft in the longitudinal direction. Shafts with such bends often exhibit a winding or zigzag pattern in the xy plane. In other words, each bend includes a portion of the shaft of the system component to which the bend is joined. This portion is offset in the x direction with respect to the uniform extension of the shaft portion of the system component.

In the above case, it is advantageous for such system components to have sides that are flat and parallel to the immovable wall next to the corresponding needle bed, facing adjacent system components. Is. These sides may also be parallel to the sides of the adjacent shafts.

Instead of being an integral part of the shaft, the spacer may consist of additional parts that are joined in the process of merging with the system parts. In this case, the spacer can easily include materials that are not present in the system components. For example, the shaft portion of a system component may be relatively general, which means that it may be a punched metal component. The additional components may have graphite flanks, which reduces friction of the corresponding spacers with adjacent system components. In the present invention, there are various coalescing steps that have their respective advantages. The term "material" here means various elements and mixtures thereof that can be used to manufacture system components and their respective corresponding spacers. In addition to or instead, the term may also mean that spacers and their corresponding system components are manufactured by different manufacturing methods. These methods may include the use of plastic or other synthetic materials to form parts of the system components or all of the spacers described above.

The system components used advantageously have a width less than the maximum extension of the shaft and one or more spacers fixedly coupled in the same second direction (x) to the shaft. I have a bat. The maximum combined extension described above is the maximum distance between the sides of the spacer and the corresponding system components facing in opposite directions. The butt of the system component extends in a third direction corresponding to the height direction of the shaft portion and has a height exceeding the shaft portion. In addition, the bat has an extension along the other second direction. A preferred bat has a front portion having a width smaller than the width of the middle portion of the bat. In other words, the bat may be wedge-shaped.

Further features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the description in the drawings. These drawings show non-exclusive preferred embodiments of the invention and therefore provide non-limiting examples. Most of the individual features, in their broadest form, can be used with their advantages to improve the invention.

A further aspect of the invention is the shape and symmetry of the system unit used. In the present invention, the term "system unit" means a group of members or elements that move together during the loop forming process. In the present specification, a system unit including one spacer and one system component such as a needle is disclosed. There are also other system units in which two spacers are placed on the two sides of a system component in which the spacers move together. Interestingly, a system unit consisting of one spacer on one system component is asymmetric with respect to a line of symmetry that passes through the center of the hook of the system component and is parallel to the sides of this system component. Standard system components are symmetric with respect to the lines of symmetry. A system unit consisting of two spacers fixedly arranged on the side surface of each corresponding system component can also be symmetrical with respect to the line of symmetry. As described in the paragraph above, it is advantageous to provide such a system unit with a butt having a width smaller than the width of the system unit. Therefore, it is said that many embodiments of the present invention include either a symmetrical system unit or at least one system unit with two spacers (one spacer on each side of the system component). Can be done.

In addition, the hook direction end of the bat and / or the rear end of the bat system component or system unit is wedged, in other words, the width of the bat is at least one of the extensions of the bat. It is advantageous to reduce in the direction of the edges.

It is advantageous if at least one or any of the two system components comprises one functional group of loop forming means. In other words, the loop forming means of one system component is involved only in the simultaneous formation of one loop during the same period. At the end of this period, these loop-forming means usually begin to form new loops. For example, one (latch type) knitting needle hook and latch constitutes such a functional group. The same applies to the hooks and sliders of one (slider) knitting needle. The sinker has various so-called edges (push-down edge, knockover edge, etc.), which are also usually involved in the formation of only one loop per sinker and per period. A warp knitting module that is used to form several loops and contains multiple needles, thereby always forming multiple loops at the same time, does not fall under the above definition for more advantageous system components. It is even more advantageous if the configuration has only one loop forming means for each system component. Loop forming methods and devices for forming loops are advantageous if two adjacent system components are movable relative to each other or move relative to each other in the loop forming process.

It is advantageous if two adjacent system parts participate in the same knitting process during the same period (if the device is made for knitting with at least two adjacent system parts during the same period). This applies to knitting devices with system (knitting) parts used to knit different types of knitting products during different periods, such as the device disclosed in European Patent Application Publication No. 0672770. Means not.

The phrase "spacers adjust the distance between loop forming means" is advantageous when it means that there are no additional spacing means between the system components. However, it is often appreciated by those skilled in the art that there are additional small gaps between system components that are filled with either air or lubrication means such as oil (or both). Is understood. Further, it is advantageous if the spacer actually determines the distance between the loop forming means of the two adjacent system components described above. In other words, the flexibility of the spacer is limited. In this case, the feather-like thin feathers used for the transfer element (see European Patent Application Publication No. 0672770) are not very advantageous. The advantageous spacer is not the transfer element (usually the transfer element is usually involved in the transfer of loops between two different system components of two different needle beds). It is advantageous if the device of the present invention does not have an immovable wall between two adjacent system components. The same is true for movable elements such as movable spacers. It is advantageous if such an element is not arranged between at least adjacent system components of the present invention (it can be said that such an element does not exist in the space between two adjacent system components). ..

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first needle bed with first and second system components, each of which has spacers of equal width. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing one of the system components included in the first needle bed shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the first and second system components in the groove of the first needle bed. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a first needle bed with first and second system components, the first system component comprising a spacer, which spacer is two adjacent systems in one groove. Adjust the overall distance between the loop forming means of the part. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a pair of needles extracted from the second needle bed and composed of two needles, a first needle with a spacer and a second needle without a spacer. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a second needle bed including a pair of system components. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a pair of needles composed of two needles each provided with a spacer, which is basically an additional component. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the passage of the cam together with the two butt of the system component. FIG. 9 is a diagram schematically showing the first configuration of the cam. FIG. 10 is a plan view of the third needle bed. FIG. 11 is a plan view of the fourth needle bed including the first and second system components having a bent portion on the shaft portion. FIG. 12 is a plan view of the fifth needle bed. FIG. 13 is a diagram schematically showing a second configuration of the cam. FIG. 14 is a plan view of the first groove portion including the system components. FIG. 15 is a plan view of the second groove portion provided with the system components. FIG. 16 is a plan view of the third groove portion provided with the system components.

FIG. 1 shows a needle bed 14 having a groove portion 16, and each groove portion 16 is separated by an immovable wall 15. There are two system components 11 and 12 in the groove 16 in the first embodiment of the needle bed 14. The power of these system components is transmitted to the system components 11 and 12 using the butt 17. Each system component 11 and 12 includes a loop forming means. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the system components 11 and 12 are latch needles, and therefore their loop forming means are the hook 20 and the latch 24. The hook 20 and the latch 24 extend into the loop forming region 19.

2 and 3 are diagrams relating to the same embodiment as the needle bed 14 and system components 11 and 12 shown in FIG. FIG. 2 shows the type of system component 11 used in the needle bed 14 shown in FIG. As described above, the system component 11 is a needle including a butt 17 and a shaft portion 39. The system component 11 also includes a spacer 10 fixedly coupled to the system component 11. In the illustrated example, the spacer 10 and the shaft portion 39 of the system component 11 are one component. FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the needle bed 14 of FIG. The distance 21 is clearly shown in FIG. 3, which is also the distance between the loop forming means 20 and 24 of the two adjacent loop forming parts 11 and 12 of one groove 16. The line 40 is shown as a symbol of the boundary between the spacer 10 and the shaft 39. Since these two members in the first embodiment are one component, this line 40 does not actually exist. Each of the first system component 11 and the second system component 12 includes one spacer 10. These spacers 10 have the same width, and each spacer adjusts half of the distance 21. As described above, these spacers form one component with the shaft portion 39 of the system components 11 and 12, and are fixedly coupled to the system components 11 and 12.

4, 5, and 6 show a second embodiment of the needle bed and its system components. The major difference between the first embodiment and the second embodiment disclosed in the present specification is that, in the second embodiment, the two adjacent system components 11 and 12 of one groove 16 have two. Only one spacer 10 fixedly coupled to the first system component 11 among the system components is provided. This means that the entire distance 21 between the loop forming means 20 and 24 of the two system components 11 and 12 is adjusted by only one spacer 10. Also in this embodiment, the spacer 10 forms one component with the system component to which the spacer 10 is connected. In both the first and second embodiments, it is readily apparent that there is a portion 41 of the longitudinal extension of the groove 16 that accommodates or moves the spacer 10. Any portion of the longitudinal extension of the groove is indicated by brackets 41. In the first embodiment, when the system components 11 and 12 move, the two spacers 10 come into contact with each other. In the second embodiment, only the first system component 11 includes the spacer 10, which contacts the second system component 12 even when moving and when the knitting machine is not in operation. The groove portion 41 (where the spacer 10 contacts the adjacent system component 11) where this condition applies is very long (longer than 90% of the length of the system component).

FIG. 7 shows a pair of system components 11 and 12. These system components 11 and 12 are very similar to the pair of system components 11 and 12 housed in the groove 16 of the first embodiment, and both system components 11 and 12 each have one. The spacer 10 is fixedly connected. Unlike the needle in the first embodiment, the needle shown in FIG. 7 does not form a component with the spacer 10. Therefore, the spacer 10 is an additional component 38, which is united with the shaft portion 39 of each of the system components 11 and 12 at some weld points 42. Therefore, the line 40 has a physical meaning because it indicates a boundary between the two members 11, 10, 12 and 10 in FIG. 7. In most cases, the joints or joints of very similar materials can be weld points or weld lines. Depending on the soldering points or wires, materials that are similar or at least slightly different, such as different metals, may be coalesced. In other cases, very different materials can be used, which may be coalesced by other joints such as sprints or glues, etc. One possible example is to manufacture the shafts 39 of system components 11 and 12 from, for example, metal, and the spacer 10 has very low friction and / or self-lubricity, such as graphite or Teflon®. When using a material provided with.

In the system components (first embodiment) shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 and the system components shown in FIG. 7, the spacer 10 and the shaft portion 39 along the second direction (x) are combined (maximum). ) Have a common bat with a width smaller than the extension. The same applies to the first system component 11 according to the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 to 6. In contrast to the embodiments shown below, the system components shown in FIGS. 1 to 7 have this small width in all parts of the longitudinal extension 45.

FIG. 8 shows two bats 17 of system components 11 and 12 passing through the passage 35 of the cam 18. The factors that cause the bat 17 to pass through the passage 35 are the relative movement vk between the cam holder and the cam on one side (see the arrow shown in FIG. 8) and the needle bed 14 on the other side (not shown in FIG. 8). It is a relative movement between the system components 11 and 12 with the butt 17 (not). In FIG. 8, the cam 18 is not completely illustrated, but the boundary 43 of the passage 35 is shown. Hatching is provided around this boundary, and the hatched portion indicates a portion of the cam 18. FIG. 8 is drawn so that the two butt 17s can be seen through the passage 35 (the cam holder is transparent), so that the invisible part of the shaft of the system component (the part covered by the cam) is dashed. It is shown. Both bats 17 have an extension 45 along the first direction (y). The width at the end 43 of the bat 17 is smaller than the width at the middle 49. This definition does not include the ends of current bats that have rounded edges or edges that are chamfered in any way. The features described above (different widths in different parts) are advantageous for any embodiment of the invention. However, this feature is even more advantageous in embodiments with bats in which the maximum width of the bat in the first direction (x) is larger than the extension of the loop forming means 20 and 24 of the corresponding system components 11 and 12, respectively. be. In this case, it is advantageous if there is an end 43 of the bat 17 having a width equal to the width of the loop forming means 20 and 24. Further, it is more advantageous if there is a portion in the middle portion having a width equal to the maximum width of the system component and the spacer combined (in the x direction). In most cases, the ends have a substantially wedge-shaped end. The end of the bat 17 may be rounded.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of the needle bed 14 including the system components 11 and 12. The system components 11 and 12 have the same vat as the vat detailed in FIG. Even in this case, the pair of system components 11 and 12 are housed in one groove 16 separated by the immovable wall 15. The bats of the different system components are arranged relative to each other so as to pass through the passage 35 of the cam 18 shown in FIG.

Two cams 18 are shown in FIG. The second cam is located above the first cam. Each cam 18 comprises a passage 35 and a maximum point 37. FIG. 13 also shows two cams arranged one above the other. The maximum point 37 of the two cams 18 has a relative displacement or displacement along the second direction (x). This shift 50 can be very advantageous for adjusting for delays between adjacent system components, each driven by different groups of cams 18, each defining one cam trajectory. .. Normally, the cam is fixed to the cam holder. A circular knitting machine usually has a cam holder fixed to the frame of the knitting machine. Weft knitting machines often include carriages that move relative to the needle bed. In most cases, the "distance" 50 is a linear distance on a flat knitting machine and a distance including a circumferential component on a circular knitting machine. This means is even more advantageous when used with respect to a needle with a butt 17 having a width in the second direction (x) equal to or nearly equal to the combined width of the spacer 10 and system components 11, 12. ..

FIG. 11 is a plan view of the third needle bed 14 in which the pair of system components 11 and 12 move in one groove 16. The groove 16 is also separated by an immovable wall 15. It should be noted that the present invention is also advantageous with respect to a needle bed accommodating 3, 4, 5, 6 or a larger number of system components. The first system component 11 and the second system component 12 have their respective butt 17s at different longitudinal (y) positions. Therefore, the first system component 11 and the second system component 12 move along different cam trajectories. Most interestingly, the spacer 10 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 11 is a bent portion 51 of a shaft portion of the corresponding system components 11 and 12, respectively. The bent portion 51 of the first system component 11 contacts the shaft portion 39 of the second system component 12, and the bent portion 51 of the second system component 12 contacts the shaft portion 39 of the first system component 11. do. Therefore, there are no bends 51 or spacers (in this embodiment, they are the same) that come into contact with the surface of another spacer, and all spacers come into contact with the sides of another system component.

FIG. 12 is a top view of the fifth needle bed 14. The types of needle beds shown in FIG. 12 are often used in circular knitting machines. In the case of a circular knitting machine, the needle bed 14 is also called a needle cylinder. FIG. 12 shows an example of the loop forming step performed in the loop forming region 19. The needles 11 and 12, especially the hook 20 and the latch 24, are involved in the loop forming process and therefore come into contact with the knitting yarn 23. The sinker 25 also comes into contact with the knitting yarn 23. The x-direction extension of loop 33 is indicated by brackets 33. FIG. 12 also shows details of the needles 11 and 12 and the needle bed 14 that are well known to those skilled in the art, such as: That is, the latch 24 swivels in the sawtooth slot 26. During the loop forming process, the latch 24 swivels around the pivot 27 so that the latch 24 opens and closes the inside of the hook 20 with respect to the knitting yarn 23. During the loop forming step, the needle basically moves in the y direction of its shaft portion or the groove portion 16 of the needle bed 14. The sinker 25 basically moves in the z direction at the height of the shaft portion of the needles 11 and 12. The needle bed 14 includes a slot 28 that looks like a tooth in FIG. The slot 28 guides the movement of the sinker 25. The differences between the sinker 25 and the spacer 10 can be summarized as follows.

The spacer 10 moves together with the system components 11 and 12. The spacer is combined with the system component by the sprint 44. The sprint 44 is indicated by a dashed line 44. Further, the spacer 10 does not have a loop forming means such as a hook 20, a latch 24, etc., and is not involved in the loop forming step. Further, the spacer basically defines the distance between two adjacent system components 11, 12 and their loop forming means 20, 24. In most cases, there is a specific distance between the sinker 25 and the corresponding system components 11 and 12, respectively, so the distance between the two system components 11 and 12 is between the sinker 25 and the system component 11, It is the sum of the distance between 12 and the width of the sinker 25. The loop forming region 19 is located between the loop forming means 20 and 24 of the system components 11 and 23 of the first needle bed 14, and this region is a part of the loop forming means of this needle bed or There is no loop forming means driven by this loop forming means. The loop forming means of the sinker 25 is a part of the sinker that moves in the groove of another needle bed. The grooves of the individual needle beds 14 are usually parallel to each other.

Most advantageously, the immovable wall 15 and / or the shaft portion 39 and / or spacer 10 of the system components 11 and 12 each have a suitable width corresponding to the gauge of the corresponding needle bed 14. In some advantageous embodiments, the width of the immovable wall 15 and / or the width of the shaft portion 39 of the system components 11 and 12 and / or the width of the spacer 10 are the same (or substantially the same).

In the above-mentioned section, the distance 21 between the loop forming means 20 and 24 of one groove is partially dealt with. If the system component is equipped with several loop forming means (eg, hook 20 and latch 24), the width of these loop forming means is equal to the widest extension along their second direction (x). If so, it is advantageous. As a result, since the hook 20 is wider than the latch 24, the latch needle shown in FIG. 12 is provided with a loop forming means having a width equal to the width of the hook.

Meanwhile, FIG. 12 also shows another possibility for determining the distance between adjacent loop forming means. Reference numeral 52 (see arrow 52) indicates the distance between the centers of hooks 20 of two adjacent system components. This distance 52 is (of course) equal to the distance between two adjacent loops formed by their respective corresponding hooks. Those skilled in the art often refer to this distance as "pitch" (pitch represents this distance in millimeters, while gauges are the number of stitches per inch). In most loop forming methods and loop forming devices, this pitch is uniform (all system components of one needle bed have the same distance from each other). Otherwise, consumers will notice that the knitted fabrics produced by such knitting machines are uneven. With respect to the present invention, spacers can be said to adjust or help adjust the pitch between adjacent needles or system components.

FIG. 14 is a plan view of the first groove portion 16 including the system components 11 and 12 of the needle bed 14. Each of the system components 11 and 12 is fixedly connected to the spacer 10 by a welding point 42. Therefore, it can be said that the spacer 10 in which the system component 11 and the system component 11 are fixedly coupled constitutes the system unit 54. The same applies to the other system component 12 and the corresponding spacer 10.

The line 53 is a symmetrical line, is oriented in the longitudinal direction (y) parallel to the side surface of the shaft portion 39 of the needle, and passes through the center of the hook 20 of the needle. FIG. 14 shows that the system component 11 is symmetric with respect to this line of symmetry. The figure also shows that the system units 54 moving together during the loop forming process are not symmetrical with respect to line 53. The same applies to the system component 12, its spacer 10, and the system unit 54, which is composed of these two elements.

FIG. 15 shows slightly different superior grooves with two system components 11 and 12 and one spacer 10 between the loop forming means 20 and 24 of the two adjacent system components 11 and 12. The total distance of is provided by one spacer 10. The corresponding spacer 10 is coupled to the system component 11 by a plurality of weld points (only one weld point is shown in FIG. 15) 53, whereby the system component 11 and the spacer 10 are in the loop forming step. It constitutes a system unit 54 that moves together between the two. The system component 11 is symmetrical with respect to the line 53. The system unit 54 composed of the system component 11 and the spacer 10 is also not symmetrical with respect to the line 53 described above. The system component 12 may be a standard needle that is symmetrical with respect to the other line 53 that divides the system component into two halves.

In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the embodiments of the present invention are often symmetrical with respect to a line of symmetry 53 that passes through the center of the hook 20 and is parallel to the sides of the corresponding system components 11 and 12, respectively. Indicates that there is no system unit. In this regard, FIG. 16 shows an exceptional embodiment of a further groove 16, which is separated by an immovable wall 15 and a bottom 55 of the groove. The system component 11 arranged in the middle of the groove and surrounded by the other two system components 12 is fixedly coupled to the two spacers 10. At this time, each spacer 10 is arranged on two different side surfaces of one system component 11. Therefore, the system component 11 and the two spacers 10 to which the system component 11 is connected constitute the system unit 54. The system unit 54 is symmetric with respect to the line of symmetry 53. The same applies to the other two system components 12, which may be stand-up hands. In other words, in the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 16, a system unit (a unit composed of elements that move together during the loop forming step) that is symmetric with respect to the symmetry line 53 may be provided. As mentioned above, the embodiments shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 include at least one system unit that is not symmetric with respect to line 53 of symmetry. This feature is generally advantageous for embodiments of the present invention.

14, 15, and 16 clearly show another feature of the invention. The groove portion 16 is wider than the current needle bed 14 (the width along the second direction (x) is larger). A suitable needle bed for the present invention has a width greater than 0.7 times pitch 52, greater than pitch 52, or greater than 1.5 times pitch 52. The grooves provided at the pitch may have a length equal to 95%, 90%, 85%, 80%, 70%, or 60% of the length of the system component. Each groove is easy to clean and the overall oil consumption of the new device is less than most current devices. Wide grooves or passages (especially when small pitches are required) are inexpensive and easy to polish.

10: Spacer / element 11: First needle / element / system part 12: Second needle / element / system part 14: Needle bed 15: Immovable wall separating two grooves of the needle bed 16: Groove / guide element Passage for 17: Vat of element 18: Cam 19: Loop forming area 20: Hook 21: Distance between needle 11 and needle 12 23: Knitting yarn / thread 24: Latch 25: Sinker 26: Saw-shaped slot 27 : Latch pivot 28: Needle bed teeth 33: Parenthesis indicating loop extension 35: Passage in cam 18 for butt 17 37: Extreme point (y direction) of passage 37 38: Additional parts 39: Shaft 40: Thick line indicating the boundary between the spacer and the shaft 41: Longitudinal extension of the groove / bracket indicating this part 42: Welding point 43: End (in the first direction (y)) of the bat Part 44: Sprint, broken line indicating this sprint 45: Extension of the first direction (y) of the bat 46: First width (end) of the bat
47: Second width of the bat (middle part)
48: Boundary of passage 35 49: Middle part of bat 50: Distance between extreme points of two cams with different cam trajectories 51: Bending part of shaft of each system component 51
52: Distance or pitch between the centers of two adjacent hooks 53: Line of symmetry 54: System unit containing system components and one or more spacers to which they are joined 55: Bottom of groove x: Shaft of element / Groove width direction y: Element shaft / groove length direction z: Element shaft / groove height direction vk: First velocity / needle bed speed, cam holder / needle bed relative speed

Claims (15)

• At least two system components (11, 12) of different shapes are placed in one groove (16) of the needle bed along a first direction (y) corresponding to its longitudinal direction, said needle bed (14). ), And
The system components (11, 12) come into contact with the thread (23) by the loop forming means (20, 24) to form a loop.
• At least one spacer (10) is placed between two adjacent system components (11, 12) moving within the groove (16).
The spacer (10) is along a second direction (x) between two adjacent system components (11, 12), which corresponds to the width direction of the groove (16) of the needle bed (14). Contributes to the adjustment of the distance (21) and at least one spacer (10) is not involved in the loop forming process.
It is a loop formation method that includes each operation.
• At least one spacer (10) moves with the first system component of the two adjacent system components (11, 12).
The at least one spacer (10) moves, at least temporarily, within the longitudinal extension portion (41) of the groove (16).
The second system component (12) of the two adjacent system components (10) is in mechanical contact with each other and / or the spacer (10) is the two adjacent system components (11, A loop forming method comprising mechanically contacting a second spacer (10) that moves together with a second system component (12) of 12). The needle bed (14) moves at the first speed (vk) with respect to the cam holder of the knitting machine, and the butt (17) of the system component (11, 12) is connected to the cam holder of the knitting machine (18). The bat (17) receives the force for the movement of the system parts (11, 12).
-The system component (11, 12) makes a periodic motion along its longitudinal direction (y), and the system component (11, 12) reaches the minimum and maximum points during the periodic motion.
The loop forming means (20, 24) of the first system component (11) and the second system component (12) of the two adjacent system components are first set at the minimum and maximum points of their motion. Reached with a time delay equal to or more than half the exponent of the first exponent,
The first exponent is the quotient of the distance (21) along the second direction (x) between the loop forming means of two adjacent system components divided by the first velocity (vk).
The loop forming method according to claim 1. ・ Needle bed and
• Includes loop forming means (20, 24) and includes a plurality of system components (11, 12) involved in loop formation at least for a period of time during the loop forming process.
The needle bed (14) includes a plurality of grooves (16) extending in the first direction (y) corresponding to the longitudinal direction (y) of the system components (11, 12), and the system components (11, 12) , Movably disposed within the groove (16), each groove containing at least two system components (11, 12) of different shapes.
A second corresponding in the width direction of the groove (16) of the needle bed (14) between the loop forming means (24) of two adjacent system components (11, 12) of one groove (16). It further comprises at least one spacer (10) that contributes to the adjustment of the distance along the direction (x).
It is a loop forming device
At least one spacer (10) is at least temporarily accommodated in the groove (16) portion of the longitudinal extension (y) of the system component (11, 12) during the loop forming process. Fixed-coupled to at least one of two adjacent system components (11, 12)
The spacer (10) and the second system component (12) are in mechanical contact with each other and / or the spacer (10) is fixedly coupled to the second system component of the two adjacent system components. In mechanical contact with the second spacer (10),
A loop forming device characterized in that. One of the two system components (11, 12) is provided with one spacer (10) fixedly coupled to this system component of the two adjacent system components (11, 12). The loop forming apparatus according to claim 3. The two system components (11, 12) include two spacers (10), and the first spacer (10) is the first system component (11) of the two adjacent system components (11, 12). 3 or 4, wherein the second spacer (10) is fixedly coupled to the second system component (12) of the two adjacent system components. Loop forming device. The distance (x) in the second direction (x) between the loop forming means (20, 24) of the two system components (11, 12) in one groove (16) is at least one other of the needle bed (14). Equal to the distance between the loop forming means of the two adjacent system components, the other two adjacent system components (11, 12) are separated by the immovable wall (15) of the groove (16) of the needle bed (14). The loop forming apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the loop forming apparatus is provided. The distance in the second direction (x) adjusted by at least one spacer (10) between the loop forming means (20, 24) of the two system components (11, 12) is the distance between the two adjacent system components. The loop forming apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the width of at least one shaft portion (39) of (11, 12) is substantially equal to the width of the second direction (x). .. The loop according to any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein the at least one spacer (10) is integrated with a system component (11, 12) to which the at least one spacer is fixedly coupled. Forming device. At least one spacer (10) is a bent portion (51) of at least one shaft portion (39) of two adjacent system components (11, 12) to which the at least one spacer is fixedly coupled. The loop forming apparatus according to claim 8. At least one spacer (10) is a bent portion (51) of one shaft portion (39) of two adjacent system components (11, 12) to which the at least one spacer is fixedly coupled. The side portions of one bend (51) facing the other adjacent system component (11, 12) are of the groove (16) in which the corresponding system component (11, 12) is housed. The loop forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the loop forming apparatus is parallel to the surface of the immovable wall (15). The at least one spacer (10) is an additional component (38) coupled in a coalescing process to one of two adjacent system components to which the at least one spacer (10) is fixedly coupled. The loop forming apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 7. The loop forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the at least one additional component (38) includes a material that is not included in the system component (11, 12). The joint between the additional component and the system component (11, 12) to which the spacer (10) is bonded is
・ Overlapping part and / or
-Welded joint (42) and / or
-Soldering joints and / or
・ Sprint (44),
The loop forming apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the loop forming apparatus includes at least one of them. At least one system component (11, 12)
A shaft portion that basically extends along the first longitudinal direction (y) and has a width along the second direction and slides in the groove portion (16) for the needle of the needle bed (14). (39) and
-Loop forming means (20, 24) arranged at one end in the longitudinal direction of the shaft (39), and
-Interacts with the cam (18) of the knitting machine, has an extension along a third direction (z) corresponding to the height direction (z) of the shaft portion, and has a height exceeding the shaft portion (39). Bat (17) and
-Spacers (10) immovably arranged on the shafts (39) of system components (11, 12),
Is a system component that includes
The width of the butt (17) in the second direction (x) aligns the shaft portion (39) with the spacer (10) at at least one position of extension of the bat (17) in the first direction (y). The loop forming apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 13, wherein the loop forming apparatus is smaller than the maximum extension in the second direction (x). The bat (17) has a first width (46) in the second direction (x) at the end (43) of its extension (45) in the first direction (y).
The bat has a second width (47) in the second direction (x) at least one intermediate portion (49) of its extension in the first direction.
The second width (47) is larger than the first width (46).
The loop forming apparatus according to claim 14.

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