Textiles: knitting – Independent-needle machines – Circular
Reexamination Certificate
2002-12-12
2004-02-24
Worrell, Danny (Department: 3765)
Textiles: knitting
Independent-needle machines
Circular
Reexamination Certificate
active
06694780
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a needle selector for a knitting machine and, more particularly, to a needle selection finger formed by combining a plurality of members, and a needle selector for a knitting machine which uses it.
BACKGROUND ART
In a knitting machine such as a circular knitting machine or weft knitting machine, vertical motions of the working needle are selected on the basis of a knitting procedure stored in a storage such as a floppy disk, to knit a fabric of a desired knit texture. Various types of needle selectors are used for selecting the vertical motions of the working needle.
Before describing the needle selector according to the present invention, the outline of needle selection in a knitting machine will be explained with reference to a circular knitting machine schematically illustrated in
FIGS. 4A
to
4
C.
FIG. 4A
is a schematic perspective view for explaining the basic knitting mechanism of a circular knitting machine. As illustrated in
FIG. 4A
, the circular knitting machine has a knitting cylinder
1
rotatable in the direction indicated by an arrow A. A plurality of vertical grooves (not shown) are formed in the outer surface of the knitting cylinder
1
along its longitudinal axis. Working needles
2
are arranged slidably in the vertical grooves. Usually, needle selection jacks
12
are arranged under the working needles
2
to be able to abut against the lower parts of the working needles
2
. A cylinder-shaped cam base
15
a
is stationarily arranged under the knitting cylinder
1
. A plurality of raising cams
15
with predetermined shapes are arranged on the upper part of the cam base
15
a
at predetermined intervals.
The basic principle of knitting will be briefly described. When each working needle
2
on the rotating knitting cylinder
1
is thrust upward by the corresponding raising cam
15
through the needle selection jack
12
, it projects from the upper surface of the knitting cylinder
1
. A yarn
5
fed from a yarn bobbin
6
is supplied to the hook of the projecting working needle
2
, thus forming a yarn loop. Then, the working needle
2
is lowered by a known mechanism (not shown), so one stitch is formed. Therefore, control operation of forming a stitch by selecting whether vertical motion is to be applied to the working needle
2
, or allowing advance to the next knitting step without forming a stitch can be performed. As a result, a desired fabric can be knitted. In order to provide such motions to the working needles, in the knitting machine, the needle selection jacks
12
are usually arranged in contact with the lower parts of the working needles
2
. The vertical motions of the working needles are controlled, by selectively engaging the needle selection jacks
12
and raising cams
15
, by using a needle selector
3
, operating on the basis of information from a controller
4
with a built-in storage that stores a knitting procedure.
Next, a case wherein piezoelectric bodies are used as needle selection means will be described with reference to
FIGS. 4B and 4C
which show the relationship among the working needles
2
, needle selection jacks
12
, and needle selector
3
.
FIGS. 4B and 4C
are schematic views that facilitate understanding of the operation of the needle selection means with ease.
A piezoelectric body
7
can be either curved as shown in
FIG. 4B
, or curved as shown in
FIG. 4C
, in the direction opposite to that shown in
FIG. 4B
, depending on how a voltage is applied to it. A finger
9
is arranged at the tip of the piezoelectric body
7
to be linked to it. In
FIGS. 4B and 4C
, the piezoelectric body
7
, finger
9
, and raising cam
15
are positioned within the surface of the drawing, and the working needle
2
and needle selection jack
12
move circularly together with the knitting cylinder
1
(not shown) from the top to the bottom of the surface of the drawing (or in the reverse direction). The needle selection jack
12
can swing about a fulcrum
12
a
as the center. A needle selection butt
13
(upper part) and raising cam butt
14
(lower part) project sideways from the needle selection jack
12
as shown in
FIGS. 4B and 4C
.
When the piezoelectric body
7
is curved as shown in
FIG. 4B
, the needle selection butt
13
of the needle selection jack
12
which moves circularly hits the finger
9
. As a result, the needle selection jack
12
is thrust clockwise about the fulcrum
12
a
as the center, and the raising cam butt
14
of the needle selection jack
12
cannot engage with the raising cam
15
. Therefore, the needle selection jack
12
is not thrust upward by the raising cam
15
, and accordingly the working needle
2
is not thrust upward.
When the piezoelectric body
7
is curved as shown in
FIG. 4C
, the finger
9
at its tip does not hit the needle selection butt
13
of the needle selection jack
12
which moves circularly together with the knitting cylinder
1
. Hence, the needle selection jack
12
remains in the vertical direction, and accordingly the raising cam butt
14
at the lower end of the needle selection jack
12
engages with the raising cam
15
. Therefore, the needle selection jack
12
is thrust upward along the inclined surface of the raising cam
15
, and accordingly the working needle
2
is also thrust upward.
A member indicated by reference numeral
25
in
FIGS. 4B and 4C
is a finger pivot stopper formed by part of the frame of the needle selector. When the position of the member
25
is appropriately determined, the finger
9
engages with the needle selection butt
13
reliably, so the finger
9
is prevented from drifting over contact with the needle selection butt
13
.
In this manner, selective engagement of the needle selection butt
13
of the needle selection jack
12
with the finger
9
at the tip of the piezoelectric body
7
enables the working needle
2
to move upward freely as desired and thereby enables a knit fabric of any desired knit texture to be knit.
FIG. 5
shows the relationship between the piezoelectric body
7
and finger
9
of this piezoelectric needle selector
3
.
As shown in
FIG. 5
, the finger
9
is arranged to be movable relative to the piezoelectric body
7
having a bimorph piezoelectric element. Power is applied to the piezoelectric body
7
to actuate the finger
9
. This motion of the finger
9
causes the working needles of the knitting machine to be selected (more specifically, via the needle selection jack
12
), and knitting of a fabric with a predetermined knit texture is made possible. The rear end of the piezoelectric body
7
is movably supported via a spherical body, i.e., a rotary body
20
, by a support
21
or a concave part
22
of a housing. The tip of the piezoelectric body
7
is movably linked via a rotary body
16
into a U-shaped groove
17
(to be referred to as a slit
17
hereinafter) at the rear end of the finger
9
. The piezoelectric body
7
is arranged with its predetermined position between the rear end and the tip of the piezoelectric body
7
being pinched by a rotary body
23
rotatably fitted to a support
24
or the housing.
As shown in
FIG. 5
, the finger
9
is supported at its intermediate portion
9
b
by a support
10
b
through a pin
18
. Hence, when the piezoelectric body
7
flexes, its motion vertically moves a rear end (piezoelectric body engaging portion)
9
a
of the finger
9
. As a result, the finger
9
swings about the pin
18
, serving as the pivot support point of the finger
9
, as the center, so a bar-shaped portion
9
C of the finger
9
projecting through an opening
11
of a support
10
a
swings, and consequently a tip
9
d
moves vertically. The vertical motion of the tip
9
d
causes the rising motion of the working needle
2
described above to be selected.
FIG. 6A
is a side view of a conventionally known finger
9
, and
FIG. 6B
is a front view of the same. As shown in
FIGS. 6A and 6B
, the finger
9
is comprised of a bar-shaped thin elongated member
9
c
extending from a butt abutting surface
9
d
at its tip to reach a cent
Iida Nobuo
Watanabe Kazuhisa
Frishauf Holtz Goodman & Chick P.C.
WAC Data Service Kabushiki Kaisha
Worrell Danny
LandOfFree
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