JPH1037050A - Production of finger for actuator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for producing a finger for an actuator capable of performing needle selecting operations, etc., of knitting needles in a knitting machine. SOLUTION: This method for producing a finger for an actuator comprises the following steps (1) to (3): (1) a punching step for notches 23 inward at the rear end of a finger body-forming part 22 of a substrate 21 for forming the fingers and a dividing step for both outer parts 26 and an inner side part 27 by punching the notched parts 23, (2) a step for forming cutting-plane lines 28 in the finger longitudinal direction in the finger body-forming part 22 and (3) a step for bending the side of both the outer parts 26 and the side of the inner part 27 in the finger body-forming part 22, a step for forming a pin hinge part 29 in the finger body-forming part 22 and a step for forming an attaching part 30 capable of attaching a piezoelectric unit to the rear end of the finger body-forming part 22. Thereby, the fingers can be formed of one lightweight substrate only by the simple pressing and bending steps and the method for production is simple to shorten the production period. As a result, the production cost can remarkably be reduced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a finger of an actuator capable of selecting a knitting needle of a knitting machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a knitting machine such as a sock circular knitting machine, a needle selecting device (needle selecting actuator) is used to select a knitting needle. To explain an example, as shown in FIG. 5, a large number of needle selecting devices 3 for controlling the vertical movement of the knitting needles 2 arranged on the knitting cylinder 1 are arranged around the knitting cylinder 1, and The apparatus 3 is connected to the patterning controller 4, and a pattern knitting procedure is sent from the patterning controller 4, and the knitting needle 2 is moved up and down to perform pattern knitting of the sock. Although not shown here, at the lower part of the knitting needle 2,
A large number of needle selection jacks having bats protruded thereon are arranged, and a large number of knitting needles 2 are brought into contact with the upper portion of the jack to form knitting cylinder-1
The yarn 5 is supplied from the bobbin 6 and the needle selecting device 3 is acted on the needle selecting jack to move the knitting needle 2 up and down as described above to perform the pattern knitting of the sock. Note that the needle selecting device 3 may directly act on the knitting needle 2.

As shown in FIG. 3, one example of the needle selecting device 3 has a piezoelectric body 7 supported on a support 8 in multiple stages, a finger 9 is attached to an end of the piezoelectric body 7, and a tip of the finger 9 is attached to the end. The knitting needles 2 are selected by pressing or non-pressing the pads as described above by protruding from the openings 11 of the stopper portions 10 of the support 8. As shown in FIG. 4, the piezoelectric body 7 in the needle selecting device 3 is, for example, a ceramic formed by firing zirconate-lead titanate (PZT) or the like on both surfaces of a shim material 12. It is constituted by sticking a piezoelectric element 13 made of a material. When a voltage (pulse) is applied to the piezoelectric element, distortion or mechanical stress is generated. The mechanical vibration caused by such a piezoelectric phenomenon is used to select a knitting needle. As shown in the figure, the patterning controller 4 operates the piezoelectric body 7 via the lead wire 14 to operate the piezoelectric body 7. By the operation of No. 9, the knitting needle 2 is selected. Here, the piezoelectric driving method is described, but there is also an electromagnetic driving method and the like.

An example of the needle selection operation will be described with reference to a piezoelectric press system.
As shown in (B), the piezoelectric element 1
When a voltage is applied to 3 (or when a positive pulse is applied), the piezoelectric body 7 is bent, the finger 9 is turned downward, and the bat 16 of the needle selection jack 15 is not pressed. Jack 15 maintains the vertical position, so that
The raising cam butt 17 at the lower end of the needle selecting jack 15 engages with the raising cam 18 to cause the needle selecting jack 15 and the knitting needle 2 contacting thereabove to move upward.
The stitches are formed according to. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4A, when no voltage is applied (or when a negative pulse is applied), the piezoelectric body 7 does not bend, and therefore,
The butt 16 of the needle selecting jack 15 is pressed, so that the raising cam butt 16 at the lower end of the needle selecting jack 15 does not engage with the raising cam 18, and the butt 16 contacts the upper part of the needle selecting jack 15. The knitting operation is not given.

[0005] The finger 9 used in the needle selecting device as described above is positioned at an intermediate position as shown in FIG.
, And operates with the finger support 19 as a fulcrum. In order to operate the finger 9 in this way, a pin hinge portion (through hole) is provided in the middle position of the finger 9 in the width direction of the finger 9, and the pin hinge portion (through hole) of the finger 9 is formed in the pin hinge portion (through hole). , The support pin (shaft) 20 is passed through, and both ends of the pin 20 are inserted into holes in the left and right end walls of the finger support portion 19.
At both ends of the finger 9 in the finger support portion 1
9 so as to be rotatable.

Conventionally, such fingers have been manufactured by integral molding, such as a lost wax manufacturing method or a manufacturing method by sintering metal powder, or by a method of spot welding by bending and overlapping at the center, but the manufacturing method is complicated. The production cost is high, the production requires many days, there is a problem in accuracy, and the finger does not rise. Further, the increase in the needle selection speed of the finger is related to the weight of the finger, and the lighter the finger, the higher the speed of the needle selection, but the finger by the conventional manufacturing method becomes heavy. There was a disadvantage. On the other hand, if the fingers are made lighter, they will not be durable in terms of strength and the life of the needle selecting device will be shortened. Therefore, it is necessary to balance these.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of solving the drawbacks of the prior art. Other objects and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the entire description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a finger of an actuator capable of performing a needle selecting operation of a knitting needle of a knitting machine, and comprises the following ( The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a finger of an actuator including the steps 1) to 3). (1) a notch punching step toward the inside of the rear end of the finger body forming portion of the finger forming substrate, and a step of partitioning both outer and inner portions by punching the notch; (2) the finger body Forming a cutting line in the longitudinal direction of the finger in the forming portion; and (3) forming a pin hinge portion in the finger body forming portion by bending both the outer portion side and the inner portion side in the finger body forming portion. Forming a mounting portion to which a piezoelectric body or an electromagnetic selector lever can be mounted at a rear end of the finger body forming portion;

[0009]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0010]

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings together with its operation. In the present invention, first, as shown in FIG. 1A, two notches 23 are formed at the rear end of the finger body forming portion 22 of the finger forming substrate 21 toward the inside thereof. For example, it can be formed by press punching. In this embodiment, an example of punching into a square is shown. The finger forming substrate 21 includes a finger tip forming part 24 and a connecting board part 25 connecting the finger tip forming part 24 and the finger body forming part 22. The finger forming substrate 21 illustrated in FIG. 1A is formed by stamping a finger tip portion forming portion 24 and a connecting substrate portion 25 into a predetermined shape from a substrate (not shown) made of, for example, a square metal. Along with
It can be formed by punching out two notches 23 with a press. By punching out the notch 23, the rear end portion of the finger body forming portion 22 is partitioned into both outer portions 26 and inner portions 27. In this embodiment, an example is shown in which each of the two outer portions 26 and the inner portion 27 are formed to have the same width.

The finger forming substrate 21 has a structure shown in FIG.
As shown in (B), two cutting lines 28 are cut in parallel in the longitudinal direction. The cutting line 28 may be provided so as to pass through the center of the notch 23 as shown in the drawing. It is preferable that the cutting line 28 does not extend to the inner edge of the notch 23.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 1 (C) and 1 (D), in the finger main body forming portion 22, from the rear end edge of the connecting substrate portion 25 to the rear end edge of the outer portion 26, each outer portion is formed. First, the portion connected to 26 is bent with an upward bulge, and then bent downward. on the other hand,
At a portion connected to the inner portion 27 defined by the two cutting lines 28, first, the portion is bent so as to have a downward bulge, and then bent upward. Accordingly, in the finger body forming portion 22, a pin hinge portion 29 into which the support pin 20 for supporting the finger body portion can be inserted is formed at the tip end side of the finger. Further, a mounting portion (open end) 30 that can be connected to the end of the piezoelectric body 7 can be formed on the rear end side of the finger. That is, the bending direction at the bulging portion is made different between the outer portion 26 side and the inner portion 27 side, and the outer portion 26 side and the inner portion 27 side are alternately arranged at the rear end side, and are parallel to each other. So that the pin hinge portion 29
Can be formed, and the mounting portion (open end) 30 that can be connected to the end of the piezoelectric body 7 can be formed. A perspective view of the finger 9 thus obtained is as shown in FIG. 1 (D). The finger 9 includes a finger tip portion 31, a connecting portion 32, and a finger main body portion 33. It has a portion 29 and an open end 30. In the above, the outer part 26 side and the inner part 27 side
The bending process is performed in a state where it is partially connected. That is, as described above, since the cutting line 28 is not connected to the inner edge of the cutout portion 23 in the finger forming substrate 21, the bending process is performed in a partially connected state. Become like By performing the bending process in such a state that the fingers are partially connected, the accuracy of the fingers 9 can be improved. That is, when manufacturing the finger 9, for example, in the case of a metal material, quenching is performed. In the case of the quenching, if the cutting line 28 is connected to the inner edge of the notch 23 and separated, the quenching is performed. While the effect of the distortion extends to the pin hinge portion 29 side, the cutting line 28 is not connected to the inner edge of the notch 23 and is fixed, so that the effect of the distortion due to quenching is reduced. This is because it stops only at the open end portion 30 side and less reaches the pin hinge portion 29 side. Further, since the bending direction of the finger 9 of the present invention is made different between the outer portion 26 side and the inner portion 27 side, and these are arranged alternately, there is no mutual interference and contact, and In addition, fingers 9 are attached to the ends of the piezoelectric body 7 and are supported by the support 8 in multiple stages in the vertical direction, so that when selecting the knitting needles 2, the finger pitch can be narrowed, and the finger pitch can be reduced. Finger 9
Do not contact each other even if they move in opposite directions.

Next, an example of the needle selecting device 3 to which the finger 9 of the present invention is applied will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, in the needle selecting device 3, the support pins 20 are inserted through the pin hinge portions 29 of the fingers 9, and are supported by the finger support portions 19 of the support 8. As shown in FIG. 2, a spherical body 34 is attached to one end of the piezoelectric body 7, and one end (rear end) of the piezoelectric body 7 to which the spherical body 34 is attached is fitted to a groove of the piezoelectric body attaching portion 35 of the support 8. 36, so that the spherical portion of the spherical body 34 can rotate within the groove 36 of the piezoelectric body mounting portion 35,
Accordingly, the rear end of the piezoelectric body 7 is made movable. A similar spherical body 3 is also provided at the other end (tip) of the piezoelectric body 7.
4, the spherical body 34 is pinched and connected to the open end 30 at the rear end of the finger 9 so that the spherical body 34 can rotate within the rear end of the finger 9, The tip of the piezoelectric body 7 is also movable. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a rotator 37 is attached to a middle position between the rear end and the front end of the piezoelectric body 7. The rotating body 37
Is fixed to the piezoelectric body 7 by, for example, injection molding of the resin. Both ends of the rotating body 37 are supported
Is rotatably installed in a hole formed in the rotating body mounting portion (supporting point portion) 38 of the above. The rotating body 37 may be provided with a through hole having a size that allows the piezoelectric body 7 to be inserted, and the piezoelectric body 7 may be inserted into the through hole of the rotating body 37 and fixed in the through hole with an adhesive or the like. In this way, according to the piezoelectric needle selection device in which the one end and the other end of the piezoelectric body 7 are movable and a fulcrum is provided at an intermediate position of the piezoelectric body 7, the conventional needle selection by the piezoelectric system The needle selection speed can be remarkably increased as compared with a device or an electromagnetic needle selection device, and the life of the piezoelectric body 7 can be extended.

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-described embodiments, and may be variously modified without departing from the gist thereof. Needless to say. That is, the above-described manufacturing method is an example, and the order thereof can be appropriately changed.

The needle selecting device according to the present invention can be applied to various knitting machines such as a sock knitting machine. In a 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 selecting device is provided fixed to the machine base of the circular knitting machine. When the needle selecting device according to the present invention is used in a circular knitting machine, the finger butt of the knitting needle in the rotating knitting cylinder is activated when individual fingers of the needle selecting device fixed to the machine base are operated. Alternatively, it is necessary to be configured so as to abut the lower end of the knitting needle. On the other hand, the needle selecting device according to the present invention can also be used for a flat knitting machine. In a flat knitting machine, a needle plate is fixedly provided on a machine base of the flat knitting machine, and a pattern knitted fabric is knitted by a slide including a needle selecting device and a yarn supply device sliding along the needle plate. Therefore, when the slide slides, the distal end of the finger of the needle selecting device operates, and the finger contacts 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 against the finger bat of the jack that is arranged in the vertical direction.

Further, the present invention can be applied to various devices, machines, and components such as a warp control device of a loom, in addition to a needle selecting device.

Further, the present invention is not limited to the above-described piezoelectric drive source, and can be applied to an electromagnetic drive source. An electromagnetic selector lever can be mounted on a finger instead of a piezoelectric body.

[0018]

As described above, according to the present invention, fingers can be formed only by a simple pressing process and a bending process using a single lightweight substrate. Compared to a manufacturing method or a method in which a substrate is bent and overlapped at the center portion and spot-welded, the manufacturing method is simple, does not require many days for manufacturing, and can greatly reduce the production cost. In addition, since a single lightweight substrate is used, and fingers are formed only by a simple pressing and bending process, the weight can be significantly reduced as compared with conventional fingers. It was possible to reduce the weight by almost half with respect to the finger, so that the needle selection speed could be remarkably increased. Therefore, one end and the other end of the piezoelectric body as described above are made movable, and further, the selection of the needle selection speed is remarkably fast as in a needle selection device having a fulcrum at an intermediate position of the piezoelectric body. The needle function can be sufficiently accommodated, and the function of the finger can be obtained with a minimum required weight. In addition, despite the weight reduction, the mechanical strength is high, and rather, the load on the piezoelectric body is reduced due to the weight reduction of the finger, and the product life of the needle selecting device can be extended. Furthermore, the influence of distortion due to quenching is reduced, and the accuracy of the fingers can be improved.In addition, due to the structure of the fingers, even if the vertically adjacent fingers move in opposite directions, mutual interference and contact do not occur. And the finger pitch can be narrowed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of a process according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which (A) is a plan view of a punching process of a necessary portion of a finger forming substrate,
(B) is a plan view of an embodiment process in which cutting selection is performed,
(C) is a cross-sectional view by bending, (D) is a perspective view of a finger showing an embodiment of the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a central longitudinal sectional view of a main part of a needle selecting device,

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a needle selecting device.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are explanatory diagrams of the operation of the needle selecting device,

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a knitting machine,

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Knitting cylinder 2 ... Knitting needle 3 ... Needle selecting device 4 ... Controller 5 ... Thread 6 ... Bobbin 7 ... Piezoelectric body 8 ... Support body 9 ...・ Finger 10 ・ ・ ・ Stopper part 11 ・ ・ ・ Opening part 12 ・ ・ ・ Shim material 13 ・ ・ ・ Piezoelectric element 14 ・ ・ ・ Lead wire 15 ・ ・ ・ Needle selection jack 16 ・ ・ ・ Bat 17 ・ ・ ・ Up cam Butt 18 ... Lifting cam 19 ... Finger support part 20 ... Support pin 21 ... Finger formation substrate 22 ... Finger body formation part 23 ... Notch part 24 ... Finger tip Part forming part 25 ... connecting board part 26 ... both outer parts 27 ... inner part 28 ... cutting line 29 ... pin hinge part 30 ... mounting part (open end part) 31 ... Finger tip 32 ・ ・ ・ Connecting part 33 ・ ・ ・ Finger body 34 ... spherical body 35 ... piezoelectric body mounting portion 36 ... groove 37 ... rotating body 38 ... rotating body mounting portion (middle fulcrum portion)

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A method of manufacturing a finger of an actuator capable of performing a needle selection operation of a knitting needle of a knitting machine, the method comprising the following steps (1) to (3): . (1) a notch punching step toward the inside of the rear end of the finger body forming portion of the finger forming substrate, and a step of partitioning both outer and inner portions by punching the notch; (2) the finger body Forming a cutting line in the longitudinal direction of the finger in the forming portion; and (3) forming a pin hinge portion in the finger body forming portion by bending both the outer portion side and the inner portion side in the finger body forming portion. Forming a mounting portion to which a piezoelectric body or an electromagnetic selector lever can be mounted at a rear end of the finger body forming portion; 2. The cutting line in the step (2) according to claim 1, wherein the cutting line does not extend to the inner edge of the notch.
A method of manufacturing a finger of an actuator according to claim 1.