U.S. patent application number 09/880165 was filed with the patent office on 2002-01-03 for flat knitting machine.
Invention is credited to Haltenhof, Hans-Guenther, Mayer, Stefan, Schmid, Franz.
Application Number | 20020000105 09/880165 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 7647206 |
Filed Date | 2002-01-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020000105 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Schmid, Franz ; et
al. |
January 3, 2002 |
Flat knitting machine
Abstract
A flat knitting machine has at least two oppositely located
needle beds provided with stitch formers and/or comb gap plates,
one of the needle beds having a wire which forms a knocking off
base for stitches, so that for changing a comb gap width of the
stitch formers and/or of the comb gap plates they are arranged
jointly adjustable on the at least one needle bed.
Inventors: |
Schmid, Franz;
(Bodelshausen, DE) ; Haltenhof, Hans-Guenther;
(Pfullingen, DE) ; Mayer, Stefan; (Reutlingen,
DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
STRIKER, STRIKER & STENBY
103 East Neck Road
Huntington
NY
11743
US
|
Family ID: |
7647206 |
Appl. No.: |
09/880165 |
Filed: |
June 12, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
66/67 |
Current CPC
Class: |
D04B 15/10 20130101;
D04B 7/045 20130101; D04B 15/06 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
66/67 |
International
Class: |
D04B 007/10; D04B
001/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jun 29, 2000 |
DE |
100 31 684.0 |
Claims
1. A flat knitting machine, comprising at least two oppositely
located needle beds provided with stitch formers and/or comb gap
plates, one of said needle beds having a wire which forms a
knocking off base for stitches, and for changing a comb gap width
of said stitch formers and/or of said comb gap plates they are
arranged jointly adjustable on said at least one needle bed.
2. A flat knitting machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said
stitch formers and/or comb gap plates are formed so that an
adjustment of said stitch formers and/or said comb gap plates is
performable during a knitting process.
3. A flat knitting machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said
stitch formers and/or comb gap plate are arranged so that an
adjustment of said stitch formers and/or said comb gap plate is
performable independently from a position of a carriage.
4. A flat knitting machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said wire
which forms said knocking off base for stitches is fixed in each
second stitch former of said at least one needle bed, and
intermediate stitch formers being arranged, independently from said
stitch formers serving for fixing of said wire, are jointly
adjustable in said at least one needle bed.
5. A flat knitting machine as defined in claim 4, wherein said
knocking off base for said wire which forms stitches is fixed in
said comb gap plates, and said comb gap plates being arranged so
that they are adjustable in said at least one needle bed jointly
and independently from the jointly adjustable stitch formers.
6. A flat knitting machine as defined in claim 5, wherein said
stitch formers are provided in two types which are adjustable
independently from one another on said at least one needle bed.
7. A flat knitting machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said
stitch formers and/or said comb gap plates are arranged adjustably
so that they are guided in each adjusting position.
8. A flat knitting machine as defined in claim 1; and further
comprising strips on which said stitch formers and/or comb gap
plates are supported and which are adjustable in a direction
selected from the group consisting of a direction longitudinally of
a needle bed longitudinal direction, transversely to the needle bed
longitudinal direction, and both.
9. A flat knitting machine as defined in claim 8, wherein said
strips are provided with at least two longitudinal openings which
extend inclinedly to a needle bed longitudinal axis; and further
combrising guiding pins which are mounted on said at least one
needle bed and extend through said longitudinal openings.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a flat knitting machine
with at least two oppositely located needle beds with stitch
formers and/or cam gap plates.
[0002] Flat knitting machines as a rule nowadays fixed comb gap
widths, which represent a compromise between the desire to provide
a maximum possible comb gap width for wear-free formation of the
stitches and the desire to provide a minimum comb gap width to
maintain the shortest possible thread length from the stitch head
of the needle of the front needle bed to the stitch head of the
needle of the rear needle bed.
[0003] It is however known that in many knitting articles, in
particular double-face knitted articles the stitch formation can be
optimized when the comb gap width is changed in correspondence with
the used yarn thickness. A method has been proposed, in which the
comb gap width can be changed by displacing the needle beds
parallel to their longitudinal axes. This comb gap width is then
maintained until the machine is converted to the production of a
different knitted article. Such a method is disclosed for example
in the German patent document DE GM 1 827 478. The comb gap width
can be adjusted within certain steps. The German patent document DE
PS 569 752 discloses a method in which a stepless displacement of
the needle beds and thereby a stepless adjustment of the comb gap
width is possible. These known methods, in which a displacement of
the total needle bed is required are however performed only
manually and not during the knitting process.
[0004] The European patent document EP OS 0 533 414 discloses a
flat knitting machine, in which the knocking over base of the
needle bed is formed by plates. These plates can be reciprocatingly
displacable over controlled cams located on a cam plate of the
carriage, toward the machine longitudinal axis or from it. Thereby
no change of the comb gap width is produced, but this method
provides with double-face knitting products, a similar effect as
the change of the comb gap width.
[0005] In the flat knitting machine disclosed in the European
patent document EP OS 0 897 027, the stitch former performs a
turning movement to the machine longitudinal axis or from it. Here
also the movement of the stitch former is performed via a control
cap which is located on the lock plate. A rear change of the comb
gap width does not take place here, but with this method the
quality of the single-face knitted product can be improved, and its
at most each second needle of a needle bed forms stitches.
[0006] The action of plates or stitch formers via control cams
which are arranged on the carriage leads in the known methods to
the fact that the knocking over base is located in an exactly
defined distance to the machine longitudinal axis only as the
plates are in engagement with the control cam. During the remaining
time of the carriage movement they however assume different
positions which negatively act on the uniformity of the stitch
formation. A further disadvantage of the control of the machine
formers and plates via control cams of the lock plate is that, the
control cams of the lock plates expand in direction toward the
machine longitudinal axis and thereby the engagement region to the
elements which form the stitches is reduced for the operator of the
machine.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to
provide a flat knitting machine, which eliminates the disadvantages
of the prior art.
[0008] More particularly, it is an object of the present invention
to provide a flat knitting machine in which for increase of the
quality of the stitch formation, in particular the comb gap width,
it is adjustable during the knitting process without moving the
needle beds.
[0009] In keeping with these objects and with others which will
become apparent hereinafter, one feature of the present invention
resides, briefly stated, in a flat knitting machine with at least
two oppositely located needle beds with stitch formers and/or comb
gap plates, in which for changing the comb gap width the stitch
formers and/or the comb gap plates of at least one needle bed, in
which a wire which forms the knocking off base for the machine is
fitted are jointly displaceble on the needle bed.
[0010] In the inventive flat knitting machine, an adjustment of the
comb gap width is possible over the whole length of the needle bed,
without moving the needle beds themselves. The adjusted comb gap
width remains until a needle adjustment is needed. Therefore the
adjustment of the stitch formers and/or comb gap plate is performed
during knitting process. The adjustment of the stitch formers
and/or comb gap plates can be performed independently from the
position of the carriage. Therefore the carriage position and speed
must not be changed for adjusting of the comb gap width.
[0011] In accordance with a preferable embodiment of the inventive
flat knitting machine, the wire which forms the knocking off base
for stitches is fixed in each second machine former of a needle
bed, and the intermediate stitch formers are arranged so that they
are jointly adjustable to the stitch formers which serve for fixing
the wires. The stitch formers which do not serve for fixing the
knocking off wire can assume a different position than the stitch
formers for fixing the knocking off wire and thereby also another
position relative to the knocking off base than the others.
[0012] When the flat knitting machine is designed with more
possibilities to influence the comb gap, the knocking off base for
the wire which forms the stitches can be fixed in the comb gap
plate, and the comb gap plate can be arranged adjustably in the
needle bed together and independently from the jointly adjustable
stitch formers. Therefore three types of the stitch formers can be
provided, which are arranged independently from one another and
adjustably on the needle beds. Thereby the independently adjustable
elements are formed: the comb gap plates, and the stitch formers of
the first and second types.
[0013] Preferably the stitch formers and/or the comb gap plates are
arranged adjustably so that, they are guided in each adjustment
position so that in different positions of the stitch formers and
the comb gap plate are excluded, which is disadvantageous for the
uniformity of the stitch forming.
[0014] For driving, the stitch formers and/or the comb gap plates
can be supported on strips which are displaceable longitudinally
and/or transversely to the needle bed longitudinal direction. The
strips can be provided with at least two longitudinal openings
which are inclined to the needle bed longitudinal axis, and guiding
pins which are mounted on needle beds can extend through the
longitudinal openings. By supporting the stitch formers and/or comb
gap plates on the strips, the displacement of the strips which is
guided by the guiding pins can perform a movement of the stitch
formers and/or comb gap plates to the machine longitudinal axis and
from it. Correspondingly the comb gap increases or reduces.
[0015] The novel features which are considered as characteristic
for the present invention are set forth in particular in the
appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its
construction and its method of operation, together with additional
objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the
following description of specific embodiments when read in
connection with the accombanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] FIG. 1 is a view showing a transverse section of a front and
a rear needle bed of a flat knitting machine in accordance with the
prior art;
[0017] FIG. 2a is a view showing a cross-section of a front needle
bed of a first embodiment of an inventive flat knitting
machine;
[0018] FIG. 2b is a view showing a stitch former of the needle bed
of FIG. 2a in displaced adjustment position;
[0019] FIG. 2c is a partial view of a device for adjusting the
stitch formers of the needle bed of FIG. 2a;
[0020] FIG. 3a is a view showing a cross-section through the front
needle bed of a second embodiment of the inventive flat knitting
machine;
[0021] FIG. 3b is a detailed view of two stitch formers of the
needle bed of FIG. 3a;
[0022] FIG. 3c is a partial view of an adjusting device for
adjusting the stitch formers of FIG. 3b;
[0023] FIG. 4a is a view showing a cross-section of the front
needle bed of a third embodiment of an inventive flat knitting
machine;
[0024] FIG. 4b is a detailed view of two stitch formers and a comb
gap plate of the needle bed in FIG. 4a;
[0025] FIG. 4c is a partial view of an adjusting device for a
stitch formers and the comb gap plate of the needle bed in FIG.
4a;
[0026] FIGS. 5a-5c are schematic detailed views of the front needle
bed of FIG. 2a in direction of the arrow Z in different positions
of the stitch formers;
[0027] FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a thread course of a one-layer
knitted product which is produced by each second needle of a needle
bed, on a flat knitting machine which rigid stitch formers; and
[0028] FIGS. 7a, 7b are schematic views of a thread course
corresponding to FIG. 6 of a flat knitting machine with a needle
bed corresponding to FIG. 4a.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0029] FIG. 1 shows a cross-section of a front needle bed 6 and a
rear needle bed 7 of a knitting machine in accordance with the
prior art with a not changeable comb gap width 1. The needle beds 6
and 7 have stitch formers 3 and needle bed webs 5. The knocking off
base is formed by wires 2 which are fixed by each stitch former 3.
The stitch formers 3 are arranged fixedly on the needle beds 6 and
7. The needles 4 are located in their basic position. An adjustment
of the comb gap width is not possible in this knitting machine.
[0030] Contrary to this, FIG. 2a shows a cross-section of a needle
bed 6 in accordance with a first embodiment of the inventive
knitting machine, with an adjustable comb gap width. The stitch
formers 30, which all serve for fixing a wire 20 forming the
knocking off base, are arranged in group 51 of the needle bed webs
50 so as to be longitudinally movable. They have moreover a guiding
groove 31 which engages a strip 60 in a form-locking manner so that
the stitch formers 30 can slide on the strips 60. The strip 60 has
a groove, in which a guiding pin fixedly connected with the needle
bed 6 forms a sliding guide.
[0031] FIG. 26 shows the different possible positions of the stitch
former 30. KS 0 identifies a medium comb gap width. When the stitch
formers are pre-driven from this position located in the middle,
the minimal comb gap width KS- is produced. In their maximum
withdrawn position the stitch former 30 provide a maximum comb gap
width KS+.
[0032] FIG. 2c shows the strip 60 for adjusting the stitch former
30 on a plan view. It can be recognized that the groove 61 has the
shape of a longitudinal hole in which the guiding pin 90 can slide.
By moving the strip 60 in direction of the arrow Y or arrow X, the
strip 60 is moved either in direction of Y' or X'. Thereby this
leads to a movement of the stitch former 30 located on the strip
60, toward the machine longitudinal axis or away from it.
Correspondingly, the comb gap width changes.
[0033] FIGS. 3a-3c show the positions of a second embodiment of a
needle bed 6 of the inventive flat knitting machine, corresponding
to FIGS. 2a-2c. Contrary to the needle bed 6 of FIG. 2a, here two
different stitch formers 30 and 40 are provided. The stitch former
30 serves for fixing of the knocking off wire 20, while the stitch
former 40 has a longitudinal openings 21 through which the knocking
off wire 20 can pass as shown in FIG. 3b. The stitch formers 30 and
40 can be adjusted independently from one another. For this purpose
two strips 60 and 70 are provided with the stitch 60 the stitch
former 30 which fixes the knocking off wire 20 is displaced, while
with the strip 70 the stitch former 40 is adjusted. Since the strip
40 has a smaller width than the strip 60, a continuous adjustment
of the stitch formers 30 and 40 independently from one another is
guaranteed. The comb gap width is determined exclusively by the
stitch former 30 and its position. The strips 60 and 70 have
aligned grooves 61, through which the guiding pin 90 fixedly
connected with the needle bed 6 is extended as shown in FIG.
3c.
[0034] FIGS. 4a-4c are views of a third embodiment of an inventive
flat knitting machine, similar to FIGS. 3a-3c. This embodiment
provides many adjustment possibilities. The knocking off wire 20 is
here fixed by comb gap plates 45. Moreover, two stitch former types
30 and 40 are provided, each having longitudinal openings 21
through which the knocking off wire 20 is guided. Since here three
different elements are provided which must be adjusted jointly but
independently from one another, three guiding strips are here
provided. They are arranged over one another and have a width which
reduces from below upwardly. The guiding strip 60 serves for
controlling the movement of the stitch former 30, the guiding strip
70 serves for adjusting the stitch former 40, and the guiding strip
80 serves for adjusting comb gap plates 45. The comb plate width is
influenced only by the change of the position of the comb gap
plates 45. The stitch formers 30 and 40 can move however when
required independently from the comb gap plate 45. It must be here
guaranteed that their position does not collide with the knocking
off wire 20.
[0035] FIGS. 5a-5c show a portion of the needle bed 6 of FIG. 2a in
direction of the arrow Z. FIG. 5a shows the position of the strip
60 in the end position which is possible in direction of the arrow
X. The guiding pin hits the end of the longitudinal opening 61. All
stitch formers extend in their outermost positions, whereby a
minimum comb gap width KS- is produced. FIG. 5b shows a medium
position of the stitch former 30 which leads to a medium comb gap
width KS 0. FIG. 5c finally shows the end position of the strip 60
during the displacement in Y direction. In this position the stitch
former 30 and thereby the knocking off wire 20 assume their
innermost position, so that a maximum comb gap width KC+ is
produced.
[0036] FIGS. 6 and 7 demonstrate the advantages of the stitch
formers 30 and 40 which are adjustable independently from one
another in accordance with the embodiment of the inventive flat
knitting machine shown in FIGS. 4a-4c, when combared with a flat
knitting machine with rigid stitch formers. FIG. 6 shows a detail
view of a needle bed with rigid stitch formers 3 during knitting of
a one-face knitted product with only each second needle 4. The
thread quantity which is located between two knitting needle hooks
4 is put together from the strands 10, 11 and 12.
[0037] In contrast FIGS. 7a and 7b show a detailed view of a needle
bed of FIG. 4a with stitch formers 30 and 40 which are adjustable
independently from one another. The stitch former 30 is extended in
the knitting direction S1 as far as the stitch former 40. In the
reverse knitting direction S2 to the contrary, the stitch former 30
is extended farther than the stitch former 30. The position of the
knocking off wire 20 is determined by the comb gap plate 45. The
thread quantity which extends here between two neighboring stitches
is put together in FIG. 7a from the strands 10', 11' and 12' and in
FIG. 7b from the strands 10", 11" and 12". As a whole, this thread
length is shorter than the thread length between two stitches in a
needle bed of FIG. 6. This leads to an improved structure of a
knitted product.
[0038] It will be understood that each of the elements described
above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application
in other types of constructions differing from the types described
above.
[0039] While the invention has been illustrated and described as
embodied in flat knitting machine, it is not intended to be limited
to the details shown, since various modifications and structural
changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of
the present invention.
[0040] Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal
the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying
current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications
without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art,
fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or
specific aspects of this invention.
[0041] What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by
Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.
* * * * *