JPH0637381U - Needle selection device for knitting machine - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] (Correction) [Structure] One end of the piezoelectric body 1 is movable with one end of a selection finger whose midway position is supported by a finger support, and the piezoelectric body and the finger are connected to each other. Connect so that they point in the same direction. The middle position of the piezoelectric body 1 is made movable so as to follow the rotation of the rotating body 19, a voltage is applied to the piezoelectric body to operate the selection finger, and the operation of the finger selects the knitting needle of the knitting machine. In a needle selecting device for a knitting machine that enables knitting of a knitted fabric having a predetermined pattern structure, the piezoelectric body is formed by sticking a plurality of piezoelectric elements, and the piezoelectric element is fixed at a fixed position with the rotating body. A needle selecting device for a knitting machine, which is provided with a locking portion 100 including a protrusion, a notch, a hole, etc. for preventing a shift from a rotating body. [Effect] The displacement amount is large, high voltage can be applied, the manufacturing process of the piezoelectric body is simplified, automation can be achieved, the price can be reduced, and the soldering can be performed at a low temperature. Therefore, the adhesion is improved when the resin-made rotating body is integrally molded with the piezoelectric element.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a needle selecting device for a knitting machine, and more particularly to a needle selecting device for selecting a knitting needle by a piezoelectric method.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 In a pattern knitting machine such as a pattern knitting circular knitting machine or a pattern knitting flat knitting machine, needle selection is performed to transmit the pattern knitting procedure stored in a storage device such as a pin drum, tape, or floppy disk to the vertical movement of the knitting needle. The device is being used. As this type of needle selecting device, a needle selecting device for a knitting machine using an electromagnet is known, but there is a limit to the increase in response speed from the viewpoint of the function of the electromagnet itself, and it is also attempted to increase the speed. Then, heat is generated, power consumption is large, and the needle selection device also becomes large. Further, as this type of needle selecting device, a piezoelectric needle selecting device that applies a voltage to a piezoelectric body to activate a selecting finger to select a knitting needle has also been proposed. With this piezoelectric needle selection device, the response speed is fast, and high-cycle pulses can be applied, and the needle selection action is much faster than the needle selection device that uses an electromagnet. This has the advantages that it can be performed, power consumption is low, and the size of the needle selection device itself can be further reduced. However, in the conventional needle selecting device based on the piezoelectric method, the end of the piezoelectric body is fixed to a support or the like and the piezoelectric body is operated in a cantilever manner, or the finger is placed on the piezoelectric body. In some cases, such as attaching a finger to the piezoelectric body in a T-shape, there was a problem in practical use. That is, for example, since the piezoelectric body is cantilevered in a bending motion, if a higher cycle pulse is applied to further increase the response speed, the stabilization of the operation may be lost, or However, there is a problem that the piezoelectric element of the piezoelectric body is damaged due to a load on the piezoelectric body, its life is shortened, or the width of the piezoelectric element is increased in the lateral direction, so that the needle selection device is enlarged. In the piezoelectric needle selecting device, there is a piezoelectric body in which piezoelectric elements (piezoelectric ceramics) are attached to both sides of a so-called shim by using an adhesive. In this case, the shim material is used. The adhesion between the metal plate and the piezoelectric ceramic is poor, and the piezoelectric ceramic may peel off. In addition, in the form in which the piezoelectric element is attached to the metal plate, there is a problem that automation of the process of manufacturing the piezoelectric body is hindered, and the cost is high. Further, there is a problem that a high temperature is required to solder the shim material of the piezoelectric body. On the other hand, in the piezoelectric needle selecting device, spherical bodies are attached to one end and the other end of the piezoelectric body, respectively, so that the one end and the other end can move freely, and the middle position of the piezoelectric body is also set. Some of them are movable according to the rotation of the rotating body, and these have various advantages such as extending the life of the piezoelectric element of the piezoelectric body. Also, by fixing the midway position of the piezoelectric body to the rotating body and providing a midway fulcrum at the midway position of the piezoelectric body, the needle selection speed will be much faster than with conventional piezoelectric needle selection devices. There are advantages. In this case, in order to fix the midway positions of the one end and the other end of the piezoelectric body to the rotary body rotatably attached to the rotary body mounting portion as described above, the rotary body is made of resin and the shim is used. When the resin rotating body is integrally molded with the piezoelectric body consisting of the metal plate of the material and the piezoelectric element (piezoelectric ceramic) by injection molding, etc., the adhesion between the metal plate of the shim material and the rotating body of the resin However, there is a problem that peeling occurs between the rotating body made of the resin and the metal plate of the aluminum material.

[0003]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 The present invention is intended to provide a technique capable of solving the above-mentioned drawbacks of the piezoelectric needle selecting device in the conventional example. Other objects and novel features of the present invention will be apparent from the entire description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

[0004]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 The present invention for achieving such an object is such that one end of a piezoelectric body is movable with one end of a selection finger whose midway position is supported by a finger support, and the piezoelectric body and the finger are the same. Connect so as to face the direction, movably attach the other end of the piezoelectric body to the piezoelectric body mounting part, and rotate the midway position between the one end and the other end of the piezoelectric body to the rotating body mounting part. It is fixed to the rotating body attached to the, and the middle position of the piezoelectric body can be moved following the rotation of the rotating body, and a voltage is applied to the piezoelectric body to operate the selection finger to operate the finger. In the needle selecting device for a knitting machine, which selects the knitting needles of the knitting machine and enables the knitting of the knitted fabric of a predetermined pattern weaving, the piezoelectric body is formed by attaching a plurality of piezoelectric elements, and Displacement of the element from the fixed position of the rotating body Projection for locking notch, which relate to that made by providing a locking unit composed of a hole or the like in the knitting machine needle selection device according to feature.

[0005]

[Action]

 As shown in the above-mentioned means, according to the form in which a plurality of piezoelectric elements are pasted together without a shim, it is not necessary to take the form of pasting the piezoelectric elements onto the shim material with an accurate adhesive as in the conventional example. The process is simplified, the manufacturing process of the piezoelectric body can be automated, the cost can be reduced, and the soldering to the piezoelectric body does not require a high soldering temperature. There are advantages. Furthermore, by providing a locking portion made of a protrusion, a notch, a hole, etc., at a position where the piezoelectric element is fixed to the rotating body, for preventing the displacement from the rotating body, the rotation of the piezoelectric element (piezoelectric ceramic) and the resin is prevented. It is possible to solve the problem that the adhesiveness to the body is poor and peeling occurs between the resin-made rotating body and the piezoelectric element (piezoelectric ceramic), especially when the resin-made rotating body is integrally molded on the piezoelectric element. It will be an effective technology. Further, according to the above-mentioned means of the present invention, one end of the piezoelectric body is movably connected to one end of the selection finger, and the other end of the piezoelectric body is movable in the groove of the piezoelectric body mounting portion. Then, the intermediate positions of the one end and the other end of the piezoelectric body are fixed to the rotary body rotatably attached to the rotary body mounting portion, and the midway position of the piezoelectric body is fixed to the rotary body. The piezoelectric body is configured to be movable in accordance with the rotation so that the bending motion of the piezoelectric body is not hindered as much as possible, and the middle position between one end and the other end of the piezoelectric body is set to the rotary body. By fixing it to the rotating body that is rotatably attached to the mounting part, an intermediate fulcrum will be provided between the front end and the rear end of the piezoelectric body. Since it is supported (fixed) on the The stage can be improved needle selection speed, the piezoelectric element of the piezoelectric element can be longer its life. Furthermore, since the piezoelectric body and the fingers are oriented in the same direction and aligned on a straight line, the needle selection device can be downsized in the horizontal direction without taking the width, and the needle selection device can also be downsized in the height direction. It became so. In the present invention, the reason why the above-mentioned shimlessness can be achieved is also based on the above-mentioned configuration, in which the piezoelectric body can freely perform the bending motion, and the finger and the butt of the needle selection jack are used. Since the shock when contacting is buffered, the piezoelectric element of the piezoelectric body is not burdened, and thus it is considered that the shim-less material could be realized. Conventionally, in the bimorph form without shim material, the strength is weakened, chips or cracks occur, the problem of whether the displacement of the piezoelectric body is sufficient, or the depolarization phenomenon does not occur. Although there were concerns about whether or not there was such a problem, according to the study by the present inventors, it is possible to increase the thickness of the piezoelectric element by the thickness of the shim material. It was found that there was no problem in practical use, and as a result of making it thicker, a high voltage could be applied, which made it difficult to depolarize, and was able to withstand practical use as a piezoelectric body in needle selection devices such as sock knitting machines. .

[0006]

【Example】

 Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of a piezoelectric body showing an embodiment of the present invention. The piezoelectric body 1 is formed by sticking a piezoelectric element 2 and a piezoelectric element 2 with a conductive adhesive 3. In FIG. 1, 4 is an electrode. The electrodes 4 are configured to be positive, negative, positive, and negative from the top. The positive electrode 4 of the upper piezoelectric element 2 and the negative electrode 4 of the lower piezoelectric element 2 are connected. Further, a voltage is applied between the positive electrode 4 of the upper piezoelectric element 2 and the negative electrode 4 of the upper piezoelectric element 2. As described later, the piezoelectric element 2 is connected to the controller of the knitting machine and a voltage is applied. When a voltage is applied, one of the upper piezoelectric element 2 and the lower piezoelectric element 2 expands and the other contracts. In FIG. 1, arrows indicate the direction of current flow. The piezoelectric body 1 is formed in a rectangular shape in this embodiment. As the piezoelectric element 2, any piezoelectric element can be used as long as it has an inverse piezoelectric effect. However, in order to supply a large amount of piezoelectric elements having industrially stable quality, it is preferable to use a ceramic piezoelectric element made of barium titanate or the like. The electrode 4 can be formed, for example, by baking Ag paste or the like. The conductive adhesive 3 is made of, for example, an adhesive such as an epoxy-based adhesive, and metal powder or the like may be added to impart conductivity.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a main part of a needle selection device showing an embodiment of the present invention. One end (rear end) of the piezoelectric body 1 to which the spherical body 7 is attached is fitted into the groove 6 of the piezoelectric body attachment portion 5. An example perspective view of the spherical body 7 is shown in FIG. A groove is provided at the end of the spherical body 7, and one end of the piezoelectric body 1 is inserted and fixed in the groove. The spherical portion of the spherical body 7 can rotate in the groove 6 of the piezoelectric body mounting portion 5, and accordingly, the rear end portion of the piezoelectric body 1 can move. The spherical body 7 is made of resin, for example, and can be fixed to the piezoelectric body 1 by injection molding (integral molding) performed by injecting resin, for example.

The same spherical body 7 as described above is attached to the other end portion (tip portion) of the piezoelectric body 1. In the same manner as described above, the spherical body 7 can be attached to the piezoelectric body 1 by integral molding by injection molding, for example, by injecting resin. As shown, the spherical body 7 is sandwiched and connected to the open end of the rear end of the finger 8. The spherical body 7 can rotate within the rear end portion of the finger 8, so that the front end portion of the piezoelectric body 1 can move. The fingers 8 are connected so as to be aligned with the rectangular piezoelectric body 1 (in the same direction).

An intermediate position of the finger 8 is supported by the finger support portion 9. A hole is formed in the middle of the finger 8 in the width direction of the finger 8, and holes are also formed in the left and right end walls of the finger support portion 9. The shaft is passed through the hole of the finger 8, the both ends of the shaft are inserted into the holes of the left and right side walls, and the screws 10 are inserted from both ends of the shaft to fix the middle position of the finger 8 to the finger support 9. FIG. 5B shows a perspective view of an example of the finger 8. When the through hole 11 is formed in the finger 8, the weight of the through hole 11 can be reduced and the needle selection speed at the time of needle selection can be further improved. The tip portion of the finger 8 is projected from the opening 13 of the stopper portion 12 provided upright at a position separated from the finger support portion 9. The opening 13 is configured to have a width, a size, etc. corresponding to a process when the finger 8 moves up and down. The finger 8 follows the bending movement of the piezoelectric body 1 and engages with the butt (finger butt) 16 of the knitting needle 14 or the needle selection jack 15 arranged in contact with the lower end of the knitting needle 14. Form or release the bond. FIG. 4 shows a state in which no pulse is applied (or a negative pulse is applied) to the piezoelectric element 2 of the piezoelectric body 1. In the state of FIG. 4, the tip of the finger 8 is the jack 15 (knitting needle). 14) (which may be 14 itself), and pushes the jack 15 to the right. As a result, the raising cam butt 16 at the lower end of the jack 15 cannot engage with the raising cam 17, and the jack 15 and the knitting needle 14 that abuts above it do not move upward, and as a result, The knitting needle 14 does not form a stitch. On the other hand, although not shown, when a pulse is applied to the piezoelectric element 2 of the piezoelectric body 1 to bend the piezoelectric body 1, the tip of the finger 8 has a butt (which may be the knitting needle 14 itself) of the jack 15 (or the knitting needle 14 itself). Since the finger 15 does not enter the movement trajectory of the finger butt 16), the jack 15 maintains the vertical position, and as a result, the raising cam butt 16 at the lower end of the jack 15 engages with the raising cam 17 and the jack 15 and The knitting needle 14 that is in contact with the upper part of the knitting needle 14 is moved upward, and as a result, the stitches are formed by the knitting needle 14. The fingers 8 are made of metal, for example.

The middle positions of the rear end portion and the front end portion of the piezoelectric body 1 are fixed to a rotating body 19 attached to a rotating body mounting portion (halfway fulcrum portion) 18. As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the rotating body 19 is provided with a through hole 20 having a size large enough to allow the piezoelectric body 1 to be inserted, and the piezoelectric body 1 is inserted into the through hole 20 of the rotating body 19. However, it is also possible to fix the intermediate position of the piezoelectric body 1 in the through hole 20 with an adhesive or the like so that the piezoelectric body 1 can be moved following the rotation of the rotary body 19. 19 is made of resin and provides an effective technique for fixing the piezoelectric element 1 to the piezoelectric body 1 by, for example, resin injection molding. As shown in FIG. Protrusions 100 (Fig. (A)) and notches (dents) 100 (Fig. (B)) are provided on both sides, or holes 100 are provided as shown in Fig. 1 (C), or As shown in FIG. 1D, a convex portion 100 that replaces the hole is provided, and the piezoelectric body 1 (piezoelectric element 2) and the resin rotary body are provided. In order to stabilize the needle selection operation by further improving the adhesiveness in the integral molding with 9, and fixing the middle positions of the rear end and the front end of the piezoelectric body 1 so that they do not shift. To do. Here, the locking portion composed of the protrusion, the notch, and the hole is illustrated, but any other member may be used as long as it has the same function. Both ends of the rotator 19 are rotatably installed by screws through a screw inserted into a hole formed in the rotator attachment portion (halfway fulcrum portion) 18. It is important to determine where in the middle position between the front end portion and the rear end portion of the piezoelectric body 1 to bring it to the rotary body mounting portion (midway fulcrum portion) 18, and the piezoelectric body 1 will be curved with this point as a fulcrum. And As the finger 8 gets closer, the speed of the finger 8 becomes faster, the amplitude becomes smaller, and the torque and the applied voltage can be reduced. However, if the finger 8 is too close, the torque will not be produced. On the other hand, if the distance from the finger 8 is increased, the opposite phenomenon occurs and the amplitude increases, but the torque decreases. Therefore, it is necessary to select an appropriate position, and it is preferable that the position be appropriately selected.

Also when the resin spherical body 7 is attached to the piezoelectric body 1 by integral molding on the tip, the other end or the like of the piezoelectric body 1 in the same manner as described above. Similarly, since a displacement may occur between the piezoelectric body 1 and the spherical body 7, as shown in FIG. 5 (A), it is advisable to provide locking portions 101, 102 made of holes, for example. In this case, instead of the hole, a locking portion including a protrusion, a notch or the like may be used.

As shown in FIG. 6, a housing for the needle selecting device is constructed, and the piezoelectric body 1, the finger 8 and the like are incorporated in the housing. The piezoelectric body 1, fingers 8 and the like are housed in multiple stages in the housing. A conductor wire 21 is attached to the electrode 4 of the piezoelectric body 1, and a controller 22 is connected to the other end of the conductor wire 21. When the needle selecting device is operated, a pulse is applied to each piezoelectric element 2 from the controller 22 electrically connected by the conductive wire 21 as described above. The controller 22 is a device that stores a pattern knitting structure and applies a pulse to the plurality of piezoelectric elements 2 based on the stored knitting procedure. Since such a device has a known structure, detailed description thereof will be omitted. In this way, based on the pulse applied from the controller 22, the piezoelectric body 1 bends with the midpoint fulcrum as a fulcrum, and the fingers 8 perform the knitting action as described above based on the knitting procedure of the controller 22. Although the embodiment described above is an example in which the housing is constructed so that the piezoelectric body 1 and the fingers 8 and the like are incorporated in the housing, one piezoelectric body 1 and the fingers 8 are provided as separate supports. It may be built in and made into a cartridge type. As a unit of the cartridge type needle selection device, it is placed on the housing partition shelf having a partition shelf, and an appropriate number is placed in the housing. It may be stored and knitted.

Although the invention made by the present invention has been specifically described based on the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Needless to say. The needle selection device according to the present invention can be applied to various knitting machines such as sock knitting machines. In the circular knitting machine, the needle plate, that is, the knitting cylinder, rotates with respect to the machine base of the circular knitting machine, and the needle selection device is fixedly provided on the machine base of the circular knitting machine. When the needle selection device according to the present invention is used in a circular knitting machine, the fingers of the knitting needles in the rotating knitting cylinder are operated when the individual fingers of the needle selection device fixed to the machine stand are operated. It is necessary to configure so as to contact the lower end of the bat or knitting needle. On the other hand, the needle selection device according to the present invention can also be used in a flat knitting machine. In a flat knitting machine, a needle plate is fixedly provided on the machine base of the flat knitting machine, and a slide including a needle selecting device and a yarn supplying device slides along the needle plate to form a knitted fabric. Since the knitting is carried out, when the slide slides, the tip of the finger of the needle selecting device is actuated to hit the finger butt of the knitting needle in the fixed needle plate or the lower end of the knitting needle. It must be configured to abut the jack finger butt located in contact.

[0014]

[Effect of device]

 As described above, according to the present invention, since the displacement amount is large, the needle selection operation is further sped up, a high voltage can be applied, the manufacturing process of the piezoelectric body is simplified, and it is impossible in the past. It was possible to automate the manufacturing process of the piezoelectric body, which was low in price, and it was possible to solder the piezoelectric body at a low soldering temperature. Furthermore, by providing a locking portion made of a protrusion, a notch, a hole, etc., at a position where the piezoelectric element is fixed to the rotating body, for preventing the displacement from the rotating body, the rotation of the piezoelectric element (piezoelectric ceramic) and the resin is prevented. It is possible to solve the problem that the adhesiveness to the body is poor and peeling occurs between the resin-made rotating body and the piezoelectric element (piezoelectric ceramic), especially when the resin-made rotating body is integrally molded on the piezoelectric element. We were able to provide effective technology for. By disposing similar locking portions at the tip, the other end, and the like of the piezoelectric body 1, the displacement between the piezoelectric body 1 and the spherical body 7 when the resin spherical body is integrally molded with the piezoelectric body 1 Can be prevented. Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to significantly improve the needle selection speed as compared with the conventional device, and to extend the life of the piezoelectric element of the piezoelectric body. Since the needles are oriented in the same direction and are aligned on a straight line, the needle selecting device is downsized in the horizontal direction without taking the width and the needle selecting device is also downsized in the height direction.

[Brief description of drawings]

1A to 1D are explanatory views of the relationship between a piezoelectric body and a rotating body showing an embodiment of the present invention,

2A is a perspective view of a rotating body showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2B is an explanatory view of a rotating body and a piezoelectric body used in the present invention, FIG.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a piezoelectric body showing an embodiment of the present invention,

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the central portion of the needle selecting device showing the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5A is a perspective view of a spherical body used in the present invention,
(B) Another perspective view of the finger used in the present invention,

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a needle selection device showing an embodiment of the present invention,

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Piezoelectric body 2 ... Piezoelectric element 3 ... Conductive adhesive 4 ... Electrode 5 ... Piezoelectric body attachment part 6 ... Groove part 7 ... Spherical body 8 ... Finger 9・ ・ ・ Finger support 10 ・ ・ ・ Screw 11 ・ ・ ・ Through hole 12 ・ ・ ・ Stopper 13 ・ ・ ・ Stopper opening 14 ・ ・ ・ Knitting needle 15 ・ ・ ・ Jack for needle selection 16 ・ ・ ・ Bat (Bat for fingers) 17 ... Lifting cam 18 ... Rotating body mounting part (midway fulcrum part) 19 ... Rotating body 20 ... Through hole 21 ... Conductor wire 22 ... Controller 100 ... Locking part 101 ... Locking part 102 ... Locking part

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. The one end portion of the piezoelectric body is movable with the one end portion of the selection finger whose midway position is supported by the finger support portion,
Also, the piezoelectric body and the finger are connected so as to face the same direction, the other end of the piezoelectric body is movably attached to the piezoelectric body attachment portion, and one end and the other end of the piezoelectric body are connected. The midway position is fixed to a rotary body rotatably attached to the rotary body mounting portion, the midway position of the piezoelectric body is made movable following the rotation of the rotary body, and a voltage is applied to the piezoelectric body to select the selection. In a needle selecting device for a knitting machine, which operates a finger and selects a knitting needle of a knitting machine by the operation of the finger to enable knitting of a knitted fabric having a predetermined pattern structure, the piezoelectric body includes a plurality of piezoelectric elements. A protrusion for preventing displacement of the piezoelectric element at a fixed position of the piezoelectric element with the rotary element.
A needle selecting device for a knitting machine, characterized in that it is provided with a locking portion composed of notches, holes and the like.