WO2011027543A1

WO2011027543A1 - Needle selection device of flat knitting machine, and selector

Info

Publication number: WO2011027543A1
Application number: PCT/JP2010/005366
Authority: WO
Inventors: 上山裕之; 田嶋大介
Original assignee: 株式会社島精機製作所
Priority date: 2009-09-01
Filing date: 2010-09-01
Publication date: 2011-03-10
Also published as: EP2474654A4; CN102471964A; JPWO2011027543A1; EP2474654A1; JP5719772B2; EP2474654B1; CN102471964B

Abstract

Disclosed are a needle selection device of a flat knitting machine, and a selector, wherein even if the spacing between a carriage and a needle bed changes with the traveling of the carriage, stable needle selection is made possible. A needle selection device (20) of a flat knitting machine (17) includes a needle selection mechanism (20a) mounted on a carriage (11), and a selector (19) housed in a needle trick (5) together with a knitting needle (6). An elastic leg piece (19c) of the selector (19) has the tip bent to the side of the carriage (11), and comes into contact with the cam surface of a spring support cam (27). When an armature (19d) which is adsorbed onto an adsorption surface (24a) of a needle selection actuator (24) which is provided to the side of the carriage (11) is released by adsorption release, the spring force based on the elastic leg piece (19c) is required to be larger than adsorption force. The selector (19) does not depend on the side of a needle bed (2) and is supported depending only on the side of the carriage (11), and thus generates stable spring force to enable the stable needle selection even if the spacing between the carriage (11) and the needle bed (2) changes with the traveling of the carriage (11).

Description

Needle selector and selector of flat knitting machine

The present invention includes a selector that is accommodated together with a knitting needle in a needle groove of a needle bed, and a needle selection mechanism that selects, via the selector, a knitting needle that is mounted on a carriage that reciprocates with respect to the needle bed and performs a knitting operation. The present invention relates to a needle selection device for a knitting machine and a selector.

Conventionally, a flat knitting machine has been provided with a needle selection device that can individually select knitting needles, so that basic knitting operations such as knit, tack, and mistake can be switched for each knitting needle. The needle selection device includes a selector that is housed in the needle groove of the needle bed together with the knitting needle, and a needle selection mechanism that is mounted on a carriage that reciprocates along the needle bed. The carriage is also equipped with a cam mechanism that drives a knitting needle housed in the needle groove to perform a knitting operation. The needle selection mechanism reflects the needle selection result on the knitting needle through a selector provided in the tail portion of the knitting needle in the needle groove. In such a needle selection mechanism of the needle selection device, there is known a type in which the selector is attracted by a permanent magnet, and the attracting force is weakened by energizing the electromagnet to release the selector (for example, see Patent Document 1).

FIG. 8 shows a simplified configuration basically similar to that of the needle selection device disclosed in Patent Document 1. In the flat knitting machine 1, the needle bed 2 is formed by erecting the needle plate 4 on the substrate 3 at regular intervals. The needle plates 4 are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface, and a needle groove 5 is formed between adjacent needle plates 4. A knitting needle 6 is accommodated in each needle groove 5. Each knitting needle 6 is slidably displaceable in the left-right direction in the figure so that a hook on the tip side (not shown) advances and retreats with respect to the right mouth of the figure. In the flat knitting machine 1, usually, at least a pair of needle beds 2 are arranged to face each other with a tooth gap therebetween. Each needle bed 2 is high in the mouth side and inclined so as to become lower as it moves away from the mouth, but in the figure, only the needle bed 2 on one side is shown in a horizontal posture. In the following description, the mouth side may be indicated as the distal end side, and the side away from the tooth mouth may be indicated as the tail end side. Further, the direction of rising from the needle groove 5 may be indicated as the upper side, and the direction of sinking into the needle groove 5 may be indicated as the lower side.

Although not shown, the hook of the knitting needle 6 is provided at the tip of the needle body connected to the right side of the needle jack 7. The needle jack 7 includes a connecting portion with a needle body formed on the distal end side, a bat 7a that protrudes from an intermediate portion and receives a driving force for performing a knitting operation as the knitting needle 6, and an elastic leg piece on the tail end side. 7b. The elastic leg piece 7b urges the bat 7a to float from the needle groove 5. The intermediate portion of the elastic leg piece 7 b of the needle jack 7 is pressed by the tip portion of the select jack 8. A bat 8 a is erected from the tip of the select jack 8. The bat 8a of the select jack 8 moves from the needle selection position of the B position shown in the drawing to the H position that is slightly to the right or the A position that is further to the right, or continues the B position, depending on the needle selection result. Is switched. The tail end side of the select jack 8 is divided into two forks and serves as a position holding portion 8b that holds one of the three needle selection positions.

The selector 9 pushes the butt 8a of the select jack 8 in the direction toward the tooth opening with the tip portion 9a to move from the B position to the H position or the A position. On the tail end side of the selector 9, an armature 9b is provided. The illustrated armature 9b is formed separately from the other parts of the selector 9 and mechanically joined, but can also be integrated. The selector 9 is also provided with an elastic leg piece 9 c, and the tip of the elastic leg piece 9 c presses the spring fulcrum 8 c on the upper surface of the position holding portion 8 b of the select jack 8 from above in the needle groove 5. The select jack 9 is driven by the front bat 9d biased so as to float from the needle groove 5 by the elastic leg piece 9c to push the select jack 8 to switch the needle selection position. A rear butt 9e is also erected from the tail end side of the select jack 9. Further, a tip protrusion 9f is erected from the vicinity of the joint between the tip portion 9a and the elastic leg piece 9c. Such a selector 9 is included in the needle selection device 10.

The needle selection device 10 also includes a needle selection mechanism 10a mounted on a carriage 11 that reciprocates along the surface of the needle bed 2 in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface. Also mounted on the carriage 11 is a cam device 12a for knitting driving which is mounted on the cam plate 12 and acts on the bats 7a, 8a of the needle jack 7 and the select jack 8. The needle selection mechanism 10 a includes a needle selection cam device 13 a and a needle selection actuator 14 mounted on the needle selection plate 13. The needle selection actuator 14 included in the needle selection mechanism 10a has a suction surface 14a installed at a position facing the armature 9b of the selector 9 from the bottom surface side at the tail end portion of the needle groove 5 via the bracket 15. .

In the needle selection device 10, when the armature 9b is adsorbed to the adsorption surface 14a of the needle selection actuator 14, the needle selection state is set. In the non-needle selection state, the front bat 9d sinks into the needle groove 5, and the selector 9 cannot receive driving for moving the select jack 8 at the tip end portion 9a. A release position is set on the suction surface 14 a of the needle selection actuator 14. In the release position, when the needle selection actuator 14 is energized, the generated electromagnetic force can weaken the attractive force of the permanent magnet. The armature 9b is urged in a direction away from the attracting surface 14a by the elastic leg piece 9c. When the armature 9b is energized at the timing when it reaches the release position, the attracting force is weakened, so that the armature 9b is released from the attracting surface 14a. During such release, the spring fulcrum 8c in which the tail end of the elastic leg piece 9c presses the upper surface of the position holding portion 8b of the select jack 8 receives the elastic force of the elastic leg piece 9c. If the cam device 13a on the carriage 11 side is provided with an abutting portion 13b with which the tip of the tip projection 9f abuts, this abutting portion 13b serves as a rotation fulcrum, from the middle of the height of the tip projection 9f to the armature 9b. The extending elastic leg piece 9c rotates in the clockwise direction in the figure. By this rotation, the armature 9b is separated from the attracting surface of the needle selection actuator 14, and the head of the front bat 9d is lifted from the needle groove 5 toward the cam device 13a, and is in a needle selection state.

Japanese Patent No. 3449514

The flat knitting machine 1 is required to increase the traveling speed of the carriage 11 and reduce the space required for needle selection by the needle selection device 10 in order to increase production efficiency. A needle selection device 10 of the type shown in FIG. 8 has been developed in response to such a demand.

However, in the needle selection device 10 of FIG. 8, a spring fulcrum 8 c when releasing the armature 9 b from the suction surface 14 a of the needle selection actuator 14 is provided on the upper surface of the position holding portion 8 b of the select jack 8. The position holding portion 8 b of the select jack 8 that receives the pressure on the spring fulcrum 8 c is supported by the substrate 3 of the needle bed 2 that becomes the bottom surface of the needle groove 5 via the elastic leg piece 7 b of the needle jack 7. Other parts involved in the release of the armature 9b are supported on the carriage 11 side, including the abutting part 13b serving as a rotation fulcrum at the tip of the tip projection 9f. Since the carriage 11 travels along the surface of the needle bed 2, it is inevitable that, for example, the distance between the needle selection plate 13 and the needle bed 2 fluctuates to a small extent during travel. This fluctuation changes the elastic force of the elastic leg piece 9c through the spring fulcrum, and makes the switching between the adsorption and release of the armature 9b with respect to the adsorption surface 14a of the needle selection actuator 14 unstable. In particular, increasing the traveling speed of the carriage 11 increases the instability of needle selection.

An object of the present invention is to provide a needle selection device and a selector for a flat knitting machine that are capable of stable needle selection even if the distance between the carriage and the needle bed varies as the carriage travels.

The present invention relates to a needle selection mechanism mounted on a carriage that reciprocates with respect to a needle bed of a flat knitting machine together with a cam mechanism for driving a knitting needle, and a knitting needle to reflect a needle selection result by the needle selection mechanism on the knitting needle. In a needle selection device of a flat knitting machine, including a selector that faces the tail end of the needle and is accommodated in a needle groove,
The needle selection mechanism has a needle selection actuator that acts on the selector from one side of the surface side or bottom side of the needle groove, and a return and branch cam that acts on the selector from the other side of the needle groove,
The needle selection actuator includes an adsorption surface for selecting a knitting needle based on whether or not the electromagnetic adsorption state is released,
The return and branch cams return to the suction state where the selector is pushed to the one side in the needle groove to be attracted to the suction surface of the needle selection actuator, and then branch to different paths according to the needle selection result by the needle selection actuator Guide the selector to
The selector has a base, a bat, an armature, an elastic leg piece, and a branching protrusion,
The base has a shape that extends substantially linearly in the direction of advancement and retraction to the mouth, and according to the needle selection result, a tip that can be pushed to advance toward the mouth, The one side is in contact with the surface closer to the tail end than the suction surface, and has a tail end portion that is separated from the surface in the released state of the suction release,
The butt protrudes from the base portion toward the carriage side, with the base portion at a position spaced from the tip portion toward the tail end portion, near the tip portion of the base body,
The armature is erected so as to protrude from the base toward the one side at a position closer to the tail end than near the middle between the tip and tail ends of the base, and the head is adsorbed by the needle selection actuator. When it is adsorbed on the surface, it becomes adsorbed, and when the head is separated from the adsorbing surface, it becomes released,
The elastic leg piece extends from the middle of the bat protruding from the base portion to the head portion, almost parallel to the base body, and near the middle of the base body. Also abuts against the surface of the one side at the tip side,
The branching protrusion protrudes toward the other side between the tail end portion of the base and the armature, and receives the action of the return and branching cam.
This is a needle selection device for a flat knitting machine.

Further, the present invention is provided near the middle of the bat and the armature of the selector, at a position facing the base from the other side, in the attracted state of the armature, away from the other side of the base and in the released state A fulcrum member that contacts the other side of the base body and serves as a fulcrum when the armature and the tail end of the base body rotate away from the one side;
In the needle selection mechanism, on the one side, in the vicinity of a position where the attracting state of the armature is switched on the attracting surface, the elastic leg piece is increased in order to increase the elastic force, thereby increasing the elastic force. A spring fulcrum cam is provided that presses the tip of the piece to become a spring fulcrum,
It is characterized by that.

In the present invention, the needle selection mechanism is
With the suction surface of the needle selection actuator, the armature of the selector is attracted, and the attracting state of the armature can be released only at a predetermined release position,
The return and branch cams return the selector to the attracted state on the armature by the needle selection actuator, and guide the branch projection to different paths depending on whether the attracted state is released at the release position. Branch off,
It is characterized by that.

In the present invention, the needle selection actuator has a plurality of the release positions at intervals in the traveling direction,
The return and branch cams branch the selector into different paths according to the release position at which the armature is released.
Acting on the bat of the selector guided to branch into different paths by the return and branch cam, the needle selection cam that leads the selector to different needle selection positions,
Furthermore, it is characterized by including.

Furthermore, the present invention is mounted on a carriage that reciprocates with respect to a needle bed of a flat knitting machine, and a needle selection actuator that faces one side of the surface side or bottom side of the needle groove and a return and branch cam that faces the other side of the needle groove In the selector accommodated so as to face the tail end side of the knitting needle in the needle groove in order to reflect the needle selection result in the needle selection mechanism including
A base, a bat, an armature, an elastic leg piece, and a branching protrusion;
The base has a shape extending substantially linearly from the tip to the tail.
The butt protrudes in one direction orthogonal to the direction in which the base extends from the base, with the base at a position spaced from the tip to the tail end near the tip of the base.
The armature is erected so as to protrude from the base toward the one direction side at a position closer to the tail end than near the middle between the tip and tail ends of the base,
The elastic leg piece extends from the middle of the bat protruding from the base portion to the head portion, substantially parallel to the base body, to the vicinity of the middle of the base body, and the tip is bent toward the one direction side at the tip side of the armature,
The branching protrusion protrudes toward the other direction opposite to the one direction between the tail end portion of the base and the armature.
It is a selector characterized by this.

According to the present invention, a needle selection device for a flat knitting machine includes a needle selection mechanism mounted on a carriage that reciprocates with respect to a needle bed together with a cam mechanism for driving a knitting needle, and a knitting needle in a needle groove provided in the needle bed. And a selector housed together. The selector is switched whether or not the attracting state in which the armature is electromagnetically attracted to the attracting surface is released by the needle selecting actuator of the needle selecting mechanism. The needle selection actuator is provided on one side of the surface side or the bottom side of the needle groove. The selector has an elastic leg piece whose tip is curved to one side and abuts against the surface on one side at a position closer to the tip than the suction surface of the needle selection actuator. When releasing the armature attracted by the attracting surface of the needle selection actuator by releasing the attracting force, the elastic force based on the elastic leg piece needs to be larger than the attracting force. Since the tip of the elastic leg piece is supported by the carriage, even if the distance between the carriage and the needle bed changes as the carriage travels, a stable elastic force is generated and stable needle selection becomes possible. .

Further, according to the present invention, when the selector armature is released from the suction to the suction surface, the selector base comes into contact with the fulcrum member on the other side of the needle groove. After the contact, the contact portion becomes a fulcrum of rotation, and the selector can be switched to be supported on the needle bed side, and the needle selection state can be reliably transferred.

Further, according to the present invention, the path along which the selector moves by the return and branch cams can be switched according to the needle selection result for the selector.

Further, according to the present invention, the selector can be guided to a plurality of different paths and the guidance to different needle selection positions can be switched in accordance with the release position where the suction of the selector is released.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, the selector used in the needle selection device of the flat knitting machine is in the suction state on the suction surface of the needle selection actuator, and the tip of the elastic leg piece is supported on the carriage side. By supporting the selector on the carriage side, even if the distance between the carriage and the needle bed fluctuates as the carriage travels, stable elasticity is generated and the needle selection actuator mounted on the carriage side is attracted. Stable needle selection is possible by switching between the adsorption and release of the armature on the surface.

FIG. 1 is a right side cross-sectional view showing a simplified configuration of a main part of a needle selection device 20 of a flat knitting machine 17 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a partial right side cross-sectional view showing the suction state of the needle selection device 20 of FIG. 1 and the released state immediately after the suction is released. FIG. 3 is a right side view showing the configuration of the selector 19 used in the needle selection device 20 of FIG. 4 is a plan view of the carriage 11 showing the configuration of the knitting drive cam mechanism 12a and the needle selection mechanism 20a used in the flat knitting machine 17 of FIG. 1, and a right side view showing the configuration of the knitting needle 6. FIG. FIGS. 5A and 5B are a right side view and a rear view showing the configuration of the main part of the needle selection mechanism 20a of FIG. FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the needle selection actuator 24 of FIG. 5 and a plan view of the return and branch cam 26. FIG. 7 is a right side cross-sectional view showing a simplified configuration of a main part of a needle selection device 40 according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a right side cross-sectional view showing a simplified configuration of a conventional needle selection device.

Hereinafter, FIGS. 1 to 6 show the configuration of the first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the configuration of the flat knitting machine 17 is shown including the mouth opening 18. 1 to 6, the configuration of the selector 19 and the needle selection device 20 used in the flat knitting machine 17 will be described. In each figure, the same reference numerals are assigned to portions corresponding to the flat knitting machine 1 and the needle selection device 10 shown in FIG. FIG. 7 shows the configuration of the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, portions corresponding to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. A duplicate description of the same reference numerals will be omitted.

In the first embodiment, the

armatures

19 d and 19 d of the selector 19 are attracted to the surface side of the needle groove 5, and in the second embodiment, the armature 49 d of the selector 49 is attracted to the bottom surface side of the needle groove 5. That is, the present invention can be similarly applied to the suction on one side and the other side of the surface side or the bottom side of the needle groove 5.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the needle selection device 20 of the flat knitting machine 17 according to the first embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the right side as the flat knitting machine 17 with a simplified configuration of the main part. The flat knitting machine 17 includes a pair of needle beds 2 facing front and rear across the tooth opening 18, and each needle bed 2 has a high tip side facing the tooth opening 18 and a tail end side away from the tooth opening 18 being low. Although it is inclined, only the front needle bed 2 is shown in a horizontal posture.

2A and 2B, the suction state of the needle selection device 20 of FIG. 1 and the release state immediately after releasing the suction state are respectively partially viewed from the right side as the flat knitting machine 17. Shown as a cross-sectional view. FIG. 1 corresponds to FIG. In the following description, the direction toward the mouth 18 may be indicated as the tip side, and the direction away from the tooth mouth 2 may be indicated as the tail end. In some cases, the direction from the needle bed 2 toward the carriage 11 is indicated as the upper side, and the direction from the carriage 11 toward the needle bed 2 is indicated as the lower side.

The needle selection device 20 including the selector 19 also includes a needle selection mechanism 20 a mounted on the carriage 11. The needle selection mechanism 20 a also includes a needle selection cam device 20 b mounted on the carriage 11. The selector 19 includes a base body 19a, a bat 19b, an elastic leg piece 19c, and an armature 19d. The base body 19a has a shape that extends substantially linearly in the front-rear direction that advances and retracts toward and from the tooth opening 18 so that the select jack 7 of the knitting needle 6 advances toward the tooth opening 18 according to the needle selection result. It has a tip 19e that can be pushed and a tail 19f. The bat 19b is erected in the vicinity of the distal end portion 19e of the base body 19a so that the head protrudes toward the carriage 11 with the base portion positioned at a distance from the distal end portion 19e. The tip of the head of the bat 19b protrudes toward the carriage 11 side. The armature 19d is attracted to the attracting surface 24a of the needle selection actuator 24 provided on the carriage 11 side at the position closer to the tail end 19f than the middle portion of the base body 19a. In the released state, it is separated from the adsorption surface 24a. The elastic leg piece 19c extends from near the middle of the height from the base of the bat 19b to the head, almost parallel to the base 19a, and near the middle of the base 19a to a position closer to the tip 19e than the armature 19d. Thus, the tip is curved toward the carriage 11 side.

Note that the side of the knitting needle 6 on the side of the mouth 18 becomes the needle body 21, and the hook 21a at the tip advances and retracts to the mouth 18 to form a stitch or transfer between the needle bed 2 and the opposite side. The knitting needle 6 is a latch needle, and the hook 21a is opened and closed by the latch 21b. In the transfer, a blade 21c provided on the side surface of the needle body 21 is used. Therefore, at the time of transfer, the knitting needle 6 is driven to move to the right in the drawing until the blade 21c that locks the stitch to be passed to the opposite needle bed 2 side advances into the tooth opening 18. When the transfer is performed, it is also necessary to receive the stitches locked to the blades 21c at the tooth opening 18 by the hook 21a of the knitting needle 6 that advances from the opposing needle bed 2 side to the tooth opening 18. For this reason, the needle jack 7 is provided with a bat 7c together with the bat 7a. The bats 7 a and 7 c are driven by a knitting drive cam mechanism 12 a mounted on the cam plate 12 of the carriage 11.

In the flat knitting machine 17, a movable sinker 22 is also used on the side of the mouth 18 of each needle bed 2. The movable sinkers 22 are alternately arranged with the knitting needles 6 in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface. The movable sinker 22 is installed in a state in which it can be oscillated and displaced using the tip portion of the needle plate 4 on the side of the tooth opening 18 and is urged by the wire spring 23 so as to advance toward the tooth opening 18 side.

The needle selection mechanism 20 a includes a needle selection actuator 24. The needle selection actuator 24 is mounted on the needle selection plate 13 of the carriage 11 and is provided on the surface where the suction surface 24a faces the needle bed 2 side. From the state where the attracting state is once released and the armature 19d of the selector 19 is away from the attracting surface 24a, the carriage 11 is moved to bring the head of the armature 19d toward the attracting surface 24a to return to the attracting state. The return and branch cams 26 are also attached via the bracket 25. The return and branch cam 26 pushes the selector 19 from the bottom surface side of the needle groove 5 to float and returns to the attracted state, and then guides it to a different route according to the needle selection result. The selector 19 is also provided with a branching protrusion 19g standing so as to protrude toward the bottom surface side of the needle groove 5 so as to receive the action of the return and branching cam 26.

When releasing the attracted state of the armature 19d on the attracting surface 24a, the tip of the elastic leg piece 19c curved toward the carriage 11 is the spring fulcrum cam 27 provided on the front side of the attracting surface 24a on the carriage 11 side. It becomes a spring fulcrum that contacts the cam surface and receives elastic force. In the suction state, the tail end 19f of the base body 19a of the selector 19 contacts the surface of the fulcrum plate 28 provided on the carriage 11 side and closer to the tail end side than the suction surface 24a. A fulcrum member 29 such as a wire penetrating the needle plate 4 in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface is provided on the bottom surface side of the needle groove 5 with respect to the base body 19a. In the released state as shown in the figure, the fulcrum member 29 is in contact with the rotation support portion 19h of the base body 19a. The needle selection cam device 20b provided on the carriage 11 side includes a return and branch cam 26, a spring fulcrum cam 27, a fulcrum plate 28, and a needle selection cam 30. In addition, in the vicinity of the selector 19, there are a band 4 a and a wire 4 b that penetrate the needle plate 4 in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface together with the fulcrum member 29. The band 4a presses the upper surface of the elastic leg piece 19c at a position where the tip of the elastic leg piece 19c is not pressed by the cam surface of the spring fulcrum cam 27, and the elastic leg piece 19c floats too far to the surface side of the needle groove 5. There are no restrictions. The wire 4 b regulates the select jack 8 so that it does not float too much in the needle groove 5.

As shown in FIG. 2A, when the armature 19d is attracted to the attracting surface 24a, the rotation support portion 19h on the lower surface of the base 19a is separated from the fulcrum member 29. Further, the upper surface of the elastic leg piece 19c and the lower surface of the band 4a are also separated. The lower side of the base where the bat 19b is erected from the base 19a has a shape that avoids contact with the wire 4b. Further, since the lower surface of the tip 19e is separated from the upper surface of the select jack 8, the support of the selector 19 does not depend on the needle bed 2 side. The selector 19 is supported from the side of the carriage 11 by the head of the armature 19d that contacts the attracting surface 24a, the tail end 19f that contacts the surface of the fulcrum plate 28, and the elastic leg that contacts the cam surface of the spring fulcrum cam 27. It is carried out stably at the tip of the piece 19c. In this case, the position where the tail end portion 19f contacts the surface of the fulcrum plate 28 is a fulcrum. The attracting force to the attracting surface 24a acts on the armature 19d. The elastic force from the cam surface of the spring fulcrum cam 27 acts on the tip of the elastic leg piece 19c. The attracting force and the elastic force are moments in opposite directions with the position of contact with the fulcrum plate 28 as a fulcrum. Even when the carriage 11 travels, the moment due to the elastic force is stabilized without being affected by the fluctuation of the distance between the needle selection plate 13 and the needle bed 2. When the moment due to the attracting force decreases due to energization of the needle selection actuator 24 and becomes smaller than the moment due to the elastic force, the base body 19a of the selector 19 uses the contact position of the tail end portion 19f with the fulcrum plate 28 as a fulcrum. Rotate. Incidentally, in response to the release position of the armature 19d where the attractive force can be reduced by energization, the return and branch cam 26 on the branch projection 19g side causes the head of the branch projection 19g to escape as will be described later. I have to. The direction of rotation is the direction in which the armature 19d moves away from the attracting surface 24a, that is, the clockwise direction in the figure, and the armature 19d is released after the attracted state on the attracting surface 24a is released. In the attracted state, the moment in the direction of releasing the suction due to the elastic force of the elastic leg piece 19c acts stably, so that the operation of releasing the attracted state by the needle selection actuator 24 can also be performed stably.

The tip of the tail end 19f and the elastic leg piece 19c is located on the cam surface of the spring fulcrum cam 27, rather than the distance between the tail end 19f of the base 19a serving as a fulcrum and the suction position of the armature 19d on the suction surface 24a. The distance from the contact position is larger. For this reason, as the moment with the tail end 19f as a fulcrum, the moment due to the elastic force of the elastic leg piece 19c can be used relatively large. In the configuration of the selector 9 as shown in FIG. 8, the contact portion 13b and the armature are larger than the distance between the contact portion 13b of the bat 9f whose tip is a rotation fulcrum and the spring fulcrum 8c of the tip of the elastic leg piece 9c. The distance between 9b and the position where the needle selection actuator 14 is attracted is larger. Therefore, the moment due to the elastic force of the elastic leg piece 9c can only be used relatively small.

The suction state shown in FIG. 2A is the cancellation of the suction state, and when the base body 19a rotates around the fulcrum of the tail end portion 19f that contacts the fulcrum plate 28, the rotation support portion 19h at the intermediate portion of the base body 19a becomes the fulcrum member. 29 abuts. As shown in FIG. 2 (b) immediately after the suction state is released, when the rotation support portion 19h comes into contact with the fulcrum member 29, the rotation support portion 19h becomes a new fulcrum, and the base 19a rotates counterclockwise around this fulcrum. The tip end of the tail end portion 19f is separated from the surface of the fulcrum plate 28. Since the base portion of the bat 19b is on the tip side of the rotation support portion 19h, the head portion of the bat 19b protrudes from the needle groove 5 due to the counterclockwise rotation. Since the tip of the elastic leg piece 19d continues to contact the cam surface of the fulcrum cam 27 on the carriage 11 side, the released selector 19 is supported from both the carriage 11 side and the needle bed 2 side. The return from the released state to the attracted state is mechanically reliably performed by the return and branch cam 26, so that even if there is a change in the distance from the needle bed 2 as the carriage 11 travels, the needle selection operation is not possible. It will not be stable.

FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the selector 19 used in the needle selection device 20 of FIG. 1 as viewed from the right side as the flat knitting machine 17. The selector 19 is provided with an armature 19i closer to the tail end portion 19f than the armature 19d, and makes the positions of the armatures 19d and 19i different. By alternately using the selectors 19 having different positions of the armatures 19d and 19i, even when the knitting needles 6 are densely arranged, the needle selection for each knitting needle 6 can be performed reliably.

Note that the position of the armature 19i is closer to the tail end portion 19f serving as a fulcrum in the attracted state than the position of the armature 19d. For this reason, the action of the elastic force that the tip of the elastic leg piece 19c receives as a spring fulcrum becomes larger than the position of the armature 19d, and it is difficult to continue the attracted state with the same attracting force. Therefore, in the armature 19i, the length Li of the tip that contacts the attracting surface is made longer than the length Ld of the tip of the armature 19d so that the attracting force is increased.

FIG. 4 shows the configuration of the cam mechanism and needle selection mechanism in the carriage 11 used in the flat knitting machine 17 of FIG. 1 in comparison with the configuration of the knitting needle 6 shown on the right side. The adsorption surface 24a of the needle selection actuator 24 is divided into an adsorption surface 24d that adsorbs the armature 19d of the selector 19 and an adsorption surface 24i that adsorbs the armature 19i shown in FIG. Actually, the needle selection actuator 24 is formed by arranging units having an adsorption surface for adsorbing a single armature in two stages. Even when there are three or more armature positions, the corresponding number of units may be arranged.

For the two suction surfaces 24d and 24i, the same release positions 24b and 24c are set with respect to the traveling direction of the carriage 11 shown in the horizontal direction in the drawing. If the attracting force is weakened electromagnetically in accordance with the timing when the armatures 19d and 19i pass through the release positions 24b and 24c, the attracting state of the armatures 19d and 19i with respect to the attracting surfaces 24d and 24i can be released and released. it can.

In the needle selection actuator 24 on the left side of the drawing, the cam surface of the return and branch cam 26 is shown below the needle selection actuator 24. The return and branch cam 26 acts on the branch protrusion 19 g of the selector 19. When the head of the branching protrusion 19g is lifted from the bottom surface side of the needle groove 5, the armatures 19d and 19i released by releasing the attracting state are brought into contact with the attracting surfaces 24d and 24i again to return to the attracting state. it can. Further, the branch projection 19g of the selector 19 is guided to a different route according to the release positions 24b and 24c where the suction state is released. Further, in the spring fulcrum cam 27 provided on the distal end side of the attracting surface 24a, the cam surface 27a protruding toward the needle bed 2 side increases the elasticity of the elastic leg piece 19c so as to increase the elasticity, and the elasticity of the selector 19 is increased. The tip of the leg piece 19c is pressed so that the armatures 19d and 19i are easily released.

In the needle selection plate 13 of the carriage 11, a needle selection cam 30 is disposed on the tip side of the needle selection actuator 24. The needle selection cam 30 is branched into different paths by the action of the return cam and the branch cam 26 on the branch projection 18g, and acts on the head of the bat 19b of the selector 19 protruding from the needle groove 5. The needle selection actuator 24 has two release positions 24b and 24c that can release the attracted state of the armatures 19d and 19i at intervals in the traveling direction of the carriage 11. By combining the return and branch cam 26 and the needle selection cam 30, the bat 19b is moved to two different paths 31, 32 according to the two release positions 24b, 24c for releasing the attracted state of the armatures 19d, 19i. Can be divided and guided.

Since the carriage 11 reciprocates, the cam mechanism and needle selection mechanism are arranged symmetrically. For example, assuming that the carriage 11 travels to the right in the figure, the knitting needle 6 moves relative to the carriage 11 to the left in the figure. The armature 19d of the selector 19 provided on the tail end side of the knitting needle 6 is attracted to the attracting surface 24d and reaches the release position 24b. When the armature 19d is released at the release position 24b, the bat 19b enters the path 31 of the needle selection cam 30 and is guided following the return and branching based on the guidance of the branching projection 19g by the branching cam 26. Since the path 31 protrudes forward in a mountain shape, the tip 19e of the selector 19 pushes the select jack 8 toward the tooth opening 18 side. The butt 8a of the select jack 8 is advanced to the needle selection position of the A position by pushing the top of the mountain shape of the path 31. If the armature 19d is released at the release position 24c without releasing the armature 19d at the release position 24b, the bat 19b is returned to the branch cam 26 and guided by the branch cam 19g at the branch cam 26. 30 routes 32 are entered and guided. The selector 19 pushes the select jack 8 toward the tooth opening 18 at the tip 19e, and advances the butt 8a of the select jack 8 to the needle selection position of the H position at the top of the mountain-shaped path 32. If the armature 19d is not released at any of the release positions 24b and 24c and continues to be attracted to the attracting surface 24d, the bat 8a of the select jack 8 maintains the needle selection position of the B position.

The butt 8a of the select jack 8 is guided by the cam plate 12 of the carriage 11 to an area where the B presser 33 and the H presser 34 are provided in a range where the cam device 12a for driving the knitting needle 6 is provided. The B presser 33 is a fixed presser and acts on the bat 8 a in the B position to push the bat 8 a into the needle groove 5. As a result, the butt 7a of the needle jack 7 also sinks into the needle groove 5 and is no longer affected by the knitting cam 35, and the knitting needle 6 stays on the needle bed 2 side without the hook 21a extending into the tooth opening 18, thereby forming a stitch. There will be no mistake behavior. The H presser 34 is a movable presser that is arranged in, for example, three parts and can swing to retract to a position indicated by a two-dot chain line. Similarly to the B presser 33, the H presser 34 that has not been retracted pushes the bat 8a of the select jack 8 into the needle groove 5, and the knitting needle 6 performs a tacking or transferring operation. When the bat 8a passes the A position, since the presser is not disposed, the bat 7a keeps protruding from the needle groove 5, and the knitting needle 6 performs the knit operation by being driven by the knitting cam 35. Become.

Alignment cams 36 that act on the bat 7c of the needle jack 7 and drive the knitting needles 6 to perform operations related to the transfer are disposed on the tip side of the knitting cam 35. Guide cams 37 for returning the butt 8a of the select jack 8 to the B position are arranged on the left and right sides of the knitting cam 35.

Although the two release positions 24b and 24c are provided on the suction surface 24a and the corresponding paths 31 and 32 are provided on the needle selection cam 30 to switch to the A position or the H position, the release positions 24b, If the number of 24c is increased and the number of paths 31 and 32 is correspondingly increased, many operation switching can be performed by one needle selection device.

FIG. 5 shows the configuration of the main part of the needle selection device 20 of FIG. 1 as viewed from the right side and from the front. FIG. 6 shows the needle selection actuator 24 of FIG. 5 as viewed from below, and the return and branch cams 26 as viewed from above. As shown in FIG. 5A, a spring fulcrum cam 27 and a fulcrum plate 28 are attached to the needle selection actuator 24 close to the suction surface 24 a, and the return and branch cams 26 are spaced apart via a bracket 25. Installed.

As shown in FIG. 5B, the return and branch cam 26 is provided with a convex portion 26a at the center and concave portions 26b and 26c on the left and right. On the right side and the left side of the recesses 26b and 26c, inclined surfaces 26d and 26e that are continuous with the height of the projection 26a are provided. For example, on the inclined surface 26e, the selector 19 is pushed up as shown by the path 39 in the contact state with the branch projection 19g of the selector 19, and the armatures 19d and 19i are brought into contact with the suction surface 24a to return to the suction state. Can be made. The inclined surface 26d has a similar function. The recesses 26b and 26c are provided so that when the armatures 19d and 19i are released from the attracting surface 24a, the return and branch guide action of the branch cam 26 can be received on the side of the branch projection 19g. It is an escape from the head. The concave portions 26b and 26c have a constant height lower than that of the convex portion 26a, and inclined portions 26f and 26g that are further lower are provided at the ends.

As shown in FIG. 5B, the spring fulcrum cam 27 has inclined surfaces 27b and 27c on both sides of the cam surface 27a. In a state where the tip of the elastic leg piece 19c of the selector is in contact with the inclined surfaces 27b and 27c, the elastic force applied to the spring fulcrum cam 27 is weakened. This elastic force acts in a direction to release the armatures 19d and 19i from the attracting surfaces 24d and 24r. When the selector 19 starts to enter the region where the needle selection actuator 24 is disposed, the tip of the elastic leg piece 19c abuts on the inclined surfaces 27b and 27c of the spring fulcrum cam 27 and then moves to the flat cam surface 27a. To do. Therefore, the elastic force of the elastic leg piece 19c acting on the attracting surfaces 24d and 24i of the armatures 19d and 19i hardly changes with the movement of the contact position to the spring fulcrum cam 27, and the inclined surfaces 27b and 27c. It can be set so as to continue to increase gradually along the cam surface 27a and continue to be effective at the cam surface 27a.

As shown in FIG. 6A, the attracting surfaces 24d and 24i are started from the vicinity of both ends of the inclined surfaces 27b and 27c of the spring fulcrum cam 27, so that the elastic force from the elastic leg piece 19c hardly acts. The armatures 19d and 19i can be reliably attracted to the attracting surfaces 24d and 24i. In addition, the armatures 19d and 19i reach the release positions 24b and 24c in a state in which the elastic force from the elastic leg piece 19c is exerted to the maximum by being pressed by the cam surface 27a. You can be surely released.

As shown in FIG. 6B, the return and branch cam 26 pushes up the head of the branch projection 19g of the selector 19 along the path 39 to return the armatures 19d and 19i to the attracted state. When the suction state is released at any of the release positions 24b and 24c, the branching protrusion 19g can be dropped into the recesses 26b and 26c, and can be branched into the paths 39A and 39H, respectively. Since the branching protrusion 19g sinks to the bottom surface side of the needle groove 5 in the recesses 26b and 26c, the timing at which the fulcrum member 29 contacts the rotation support portion 19h is advanced, and the bat 19b can be rapidly protruded toward the needle selection cam 30. . Since the path 39H passes through the inclined portion 26f, the head of the branching protrusion 19g can be further sunk and the timing at which the bat 19b protrudes can be advanced. If the suction state is not released at the release positions 24 b and 24 c, the path 39 B along the extension of the path 39 is passed. The paths 39A and 39H guide the butt 19b of the selector 19 from the needle groove 5 to the carriage 11 side to the paths 31 and 32 of the needle selection cam 30 shown in FIG.

If a large and strong permanent magnet is used to increase the attractive force on the attracting surfaces 24d and 24i, a large and strong electromagnet is required to release the attracted state at the release positions 24b and 24c. become. In order to reduce the size of the needle selection actuator 24, bipolar driving is performed in which the electromagnet is energized in a direction to reinforce the magnetic flux of the permanent magnet when the needle is not selected, and is energized in the direction to cancel the magnetic flux of the permanent magnet when the needle is selected. It is preferable to do.

Further, as the knitting needle 6 of FIG. 1, a latch needle that opens and closes the hook 21a with the spatula 21b is used, but a compound needle that opens and closes the hook with a slider can also be used.

FIG. 7 shows a simplified configuration of a main part of a needle selection device 40 that is Embodiment 2 of the present invention. In the second embodiment, the return and branch cams 26 are arranged on the surface side of the needle groove 5, that is, on the carriage 11 side. The needle selection actuator 44 is disposed on the bottom surface side of the needle groove 5 via the bracket 45. The spring fulcrum cam 27 and the fulcrum plate 28 are disposed on the bottom side of the needle groove 5 and on the tip side and the tail end side of the suction surface 44a of the needle selection actuator 44, respectively. The selector 49 includes a base body 49a, a butt 49b, an elastic leg portion 49c, an armature 49d, a tip portion 49e, a tail end portion 49f, a branching protrusion 49g, and a rotation support portion 49h. The function of each of these parts is basically the same as the corresponding part of the selector 19. However, the direction in which the tip of the elastic leg 49 c and the armature 49 d protrude is on the bottom side of the needle groove 5 and is different from the selector 19. The direction in which the branching protrusion 49g protrudes is on the surface side of the needle groove 5 and is different from the selector 19. Further, the rotation support portion 49h is also provided on the upper surface side of the base body 49a, and is separated from the support member 29 when the selector 49 is attracted. In the attracted state, the selector 49 is also away from the band 4 a and the wire 4 b that penetrate the needle plate 4, similarly to the selector 19. Further, the lower surface side of the tip 49 e of the selector 49 is separated from the upper surface side of the select jack 8. Therefore, the attracted selector 49 does not depend on the needle bed side, but depends only on the carriage 11 and is stably supported even when the carriage 11 is traveling.

The figure shows the adsorption state of the selector 49. A moment based on the abutting portion of the tail end 49f to the fulcrum plate 28 based on the attracting force of the armature 49d on the attracting surface 44a is a spring that the tip of the elastic leg 49c receives from the surface of the spring fulcrum cam 27. It is larger than the moment based on the reaction force. In a state where the head of the branching protrusion 49g is released by the return and branching cam 26, the attracting force on the attracting surface 44a is reduced, and the moment is based on the attracting force of the armature 49d having the tail end 49f as a fulcrum. When the moment is smaller than the moment based on the spring reaction force at the cam 27, the suction is released and the armature 49d is separated from the suction surface 44d. The base body 49a rotates in the counterclockwise direction with a portion where the tail end portion 49f is in contact with the fulcrum plate 28 as a fulcrum. When the rotation support portion 49h comes into contact with the fulcrum member 29, this contact portion becomes a rotation fulcrum, the rotation direction is reversed in the clockwise direction, and the tail end portion 49f is separated from the surface of the fulcrum plate 28. Although the bat 49b sinks due to the clockwise rotation, it is sufficient that the head protrudes toward the carriage 11 to the extent that the head can receive the guidance of the needle selection cam 30. In the attracted state, the bat 49b further protrudes, but as shown in FIG. 4, the needle selection cam 30 can be provided with a linear path for releasing the bat 49b below the paths 31 and 32.

2 Needle bed 5 Needle groove 6 Knitting needle 11 Carriage

12a Cam mechanism

19, 49 Selector 19a, 49a Base 19b, 49b Bat 19c, 49c Elastic leg piece 19d, 19i, 49d Armature 19e, 49e Tip 19f, 49f Tail 19g , 49g Branching protrusions 19h, 49h Rotation support portions 20, 40 Needle selection device 20a Needle selection mechanism

20b Cam devices

24, 44 Needle selection actuators 24a, 24d, 24i, 44a Adsorption surfaces 24b, 24c Release position 26 Return and branch cam 27 Spring Support point cam 28 Support point plate 29 Support point member 30 Needle selection cam 31, 32.39, 39A, 39B, 39H Path

Claims

The needle selection mechanism mounted on the carriage that reciprocates with respect to the needle bed of the flat knitting machine together with the cam mechanism for driving the knitting needle, and the tail end side of the knitting needle to reflect the needle selection result by the needle selection mechanism on the knitting needle In a needle selection device of a flat knitting machine including a selector that is accommodated in a needle groove facing the
The needle selection mechanism has a needle selection actuator that acts on the selector from one side of the surface side or bottom side of the needle groove, and a return and branch cam that acts on the selector from the other side of the needle groove,
The needle selection actuator includes an adsorption surface for selecting a knitting needle based on whether or not the electromagnetic adsorption state is released,
The return and branch cams return to the suction state where the selector is pushed to the one side in the needle groove to be attracted to the suction surface of the needle selection actuator, and then branch to different paths according to the needle selection result by the needle selection actuator Guide the selector to
The selector has a base, a bat, an armature, an elastic leg piece, and a branching protrusion,
The base has a shape that extends substantially linearly in the direction of advancement and retraction to the mouth, and according to the needle selection result, a tip that can be pushed to advance toward the mouth, The one side is in contact with the surface closer to the tail end than the suction surface, and has a tail end portion that is separated from the surface in the released state of the suction release,
The butt protrudes from the base portion toward the carriage side, with the base portion at a position spaced from the tip portion toward the tail end portion, near the tip portion of the base body,
The armature is erected so as to protrude from the base toward the one side at a position closer to the tail end than near the middle between the tip and tail ends of the base, and the head is adsorbed by the needle selection actuator. When it is adsorbed on the surface, it becomes adsorbed, and when the head is separated from the adsorbing surface, it becomes released,
The elastic leg piece extends from the middle of the bat protruding from the base portion to the head portion, almost parallel to the base body, and near the middle of the base body. Also abuts against the surface of the one side at the tip side,
The branching protrusion protrudes toward the other side between the tail end portion of the base and the armature, and receives the action of the return and branching cam.
A needle selection device for a flat knitting machine.
Near the middle of the butt and the armature of the selector, is provided at a position facing the base from the other side, away from the other side of the base in the attracted state of the armature, and on the other side of the base in the released state Further comprising a fulcrum member that serves as a fulcrum when the armature and the tail end of the base body are rotated away from the one side,
In the needle selection mechanism, on the one side, in the vicinity of a position where the attracting state of the armature is switched on the attracting surface, the elastic leg piece is increased in order to increase the elastic force, thereby increasing the elastic force. A spring fulcrum cam is provided that presses the tip of the piece to become a spring fulcrum,
The needle selection device for a flat knitting machine according to claim 1.
The needle selection mechanism is
With the suction surface of the needle selection actuator, the armature of the selector is attracted, and the attracting state of the armature can be released only at a predetermined release position,
The return and branch cams return the selector to the attracted state on the armature by the needle selection actuator, and guide the branch projection to different paths depending on whether the attracted state is released at the release position. Branch off,
The needle selection device for a flat knitting machine according to claim 1 or 2.
The needle selection actuator has a plurality of the release positions at intervals in the traveling direction,
The return and branch cams branch the selector into different paths according to the release position at which the armature is released.
Acting on the bat of the selector guided to branch into different paths by the return and branch cam, the needle selection cam that leads the selector to different needle selection positions,
The needle selecting device for a flat knitting machine according to claim 3, further comprising:
Needle selection that is mounted on a carriage that reciprocates with respect to the needle bed of the flat knitting machine and includes a needle selection actuator that faces one side of the surface or bottom of the needle groove and a return and branch cam that faces the other side of the needle groove In a selector that is accommodated so as to face the tail end side of the knitting needle in the needle groove in order to reflect the needle selection result in the mechanism to the knitting needle,
A base, a bat, an armature, an elastic leg piece, and a branching protrusion;
The base has a shape extending substantially linearly from the tip to the tail.
The butt protrudes in one direction orthogonal to the direction in which the base extends from the base, with the base at a position spaced from the tip to the tail end near the tip of the base.
The armature is erected so as to protrude from the base toward the one direction side at a position closer to the tail end than near the middle between the tip and tail ends of the base,
The elastic leg piece extends from the middle of the bat protruding from the base portion to the head portion, substantially parallel to the base body, to the vicinity of the middle of the base body, and the tip is bent toward the one direction side at the tip side of the armature,
The branching protrusion protrudes toward the other direction opposite to the one direction between the tail end portion of the base and the armature.
A selector characterized by that.