Guide bar drive unit of warp knitting machine

Abstract

A guide bar drive device for a warp knitting machine is provided, having a driven transmission link (1) having a driven region (7) and a main body (3) supported in a main body support (4,5). The transmission link (1) is driven by a driving force acting along a drive axis (6), and the driven region (7) is arranged laterally offset from the drive axis (6). It is desirable to increase the natural frequency of the guide bar drive system. To this end, the driven region (7) is configured to have at least one support member (16,17) separate from the main body support (4,5), which forms a tilt safety mechanism.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a comb drive device for a warp knitting machine, having a driven transmission link having a driven region and a main body supported in a main body support, wherein the transmission link is driven by a driving force acting along a drive axis, and the driven region is arranged laterally offset from the drive axis. Background Technology

[0002] Such a comb drive device is known, for example, from EP 1 619 281 B1. The main body here is constituted by the rotor of a linear motor. The driven area extends downward, obliquely upward, or otherwise to one side from the linear motor, depending on the position of the main body.

[0003] In the production of warp-knitted fabrics on a warp knitting machine, the legendadel must move relative to the knitting needles or working needles. The movement of the legendadel has at least one component in the offset direction, that is, in the direction of the longitudinal extension of the corresponding guide bar. The guide bar drive is configured to generate the movement in the offset direction.

[0004] The driving force introduced into the transmission system can be combined into a vector that defines the drive axis.

[0005] If the drive mechanism moves the guide bar via its driven region, then the guide bar must first be accelerated. The guide bar has a certain mass. This mass, along with the desired acceleration, generates a force acting on the driven region, and because the driven region is laterally offset from the drive axis, a torque is generated acting on the drive mechanism. This can cause the driven region to change its position in an undesirable manner, especially under varying loads, negatively impacting the accuracy of controlling the guide bar's movement. Especially at higher precision levels, this can lead to problems and reduced quality in the manufacture of warp-knitted fabrics. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to ensure high quality in the manufacture of warp-knitted fabrics in a simple manner.

[0007] In the comb drive device of the type mentioned at the beginning, this objective is achieved by having the driven area have at least one support member separate from the main support portion, which forms a tilt safety device.

[0008] The tilt safety mechanism prevents the drive system from tilting due to the torque generated by the lateral offset between the drive shaft and the driven area. This prevents the driven area from moving out of its position and "abdrifting." If the driven area, which typically has a ball head, is held in its position very precisely, the guide bar driven by the guide bar drive can move with correspondingly higher precision. Higher precision results in higher quality warp-knitted fabrics. The drive unit becomes more rigid without significantly increasing its mass.

[0009] Preferably, the driven region has at least two supports arranged at a distance parallel to the drive axis. Using at least two supports arranged at a distance from each other improves tilt protection. Preferably, even three, four, or more supports supporting the driven region are used. Multiple supports should also be understood as support assemblies extending in length sufficient to form tilt protection.

[0010] Preferably, the driven region has a driven head that continues in a shifting unit extending parallel to the drive axis, wherein a support member engages with the shifting unit. Thus, the shifting unit is supported in one or more support members. As mentioned above, the driven head is typically composed of a ball joint. The shifting unit then forms a push rod (Stößel) extending over a certain length.

[0011] Preferably, the shifting unit has a length parallel to the drive axis, which is at least as long as the body. Therefore, there is a sufficiently long spacing for the support members, allowing the shifting unit to compensate for the torque caused by the lever arm between the drive axis and the driven region.

[0012] Preferably, a spring balancer is fixed at the shifting unit. The driven area then only needs to act on the comb with pressure. The movement of the comb in the opposite direction is caused by the spring balancer.

[0013] Preferably, the main body is fixed to a movable carrier. The carrier may be formed, for example, a tube reciprocatingly driven by a motor.

[0014] Preferably, the main body is fixed to the carrier at at least two locations spaced parallel to the drive axis. This also helps to reduce or prevent tilting of the main body and, consequently, movement of the driven area from the desired position.

[0015] Preferably, there are at least two transmission links, each having a driven region, wherein the driven regions are arranged adjacent to each other. This takes into account the fact that combs are usually also arranged with a relatively small spacing between them.

[0016] Preferably, at least two transmission links support each other in the direction from the carrier to the driven region. This counteracts the bending of the driven region and also prevents the carrier from bending.

[0017] Preferably, at least two drive links are arranged in the bracket (Konsole). The bracket also results in the reinforcement of the comb drive mechanism.

[0018] Preferably, three transmission links are provided, each with a driven region, wherein the carriers of the three transmission links are arranged at the corners of a triangle. This is a particularly simple solution for achieving mutual reinforcement of the transmission links.

[0019] Preferably, the triangle forms a first triangle, and the driven region is arranged at the corner of a second triangle, the second triangle having an angle different from that of the first triangle. The first triangle may be, for example, an acute triangle, while the second triangle is an obtuse triangle, i.e., a triangle with an angle greater than 90°. Attached Figure Description

[0020] The present invention will now be described with reference to a preferred embodiment and in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Wherein:

[0021] Figure 1 A portion of the guide bar drive mechanism of a warp knitting machine is shown in a side view, and

[0022] Figure 2 The front view shows the comb drive unit (without drive motor) of the warp knitting machine.

[0023] In all the accompanying drawings, the same elements are given the same reference numerals. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The guide bar drive of the warp knitting machine has a driven transmission link 1. The transmission link 1 has a carrier 2, which can form part of the ball screw drive and is currently constructed as a tube. A main body 3 is fixed at the carrier 2. The main body 3 moves together with the carrier 2. The main body 3 is fixed at the carrier 2 at a first position 4 and a second position 5. The two positions 4 and 5 extend along the length of the carrier 2 with a gap. The main body 3 can also be constructed continuously between positions 4 and 5.

[0025] The driving force is input into the comb drive unit via the carrier 2. This driving force can be combined into a focal point, which is then located on the drive axis 6. Therefore, the driving force acts along the drive axis 6, which is drawn with a dashed line.

[0026] The transmission link 1 also has a driven region 7, which in this case has a ball head 8, also referred to as a driven head. During operation, the ball head 8 acts on the comb (also not shown in detail) via a comb push rod (not shown in detail). The ball head 8 acts only with pressure on the comb push rod and thus on the comb. Movement in the opposite direction of pressure is caused by a spring balancer 9, also fixed to the transmission link 1. The spring balancer 9 has a spring 10, the tension of which can be adjusted by means of a nut 11 screwed onto a screw bolt 12. The spring balancer passes through the main body 3.

[0027] When the transmission component 1 acts on the comb push rod with its driven region 7 to generate the comb's movement, the comb initially resists this movement with resistance symbolically represented by arrow 13. Arrow 13 has a lateral distance from the drive axis 6, thus generating a torque acting on the body 3, symbolically represented by arrow 14. This torque 14 can cause the ball head 8, or the general driven region 7, to move out of its theoretically set position. This, in turn, leads to a change in the movement of the controlled comb. There is a significant risk, especially under varying loads, that the ball head 8 may "drift" downwards or upwards from its position.

[0028] To alleviate this problem, the ball head 8 forming the driven head continues in the shifting unit 15 extending parallel to the drive axis 6. In its simplest case, the shifting unit 15 can be constructed as a columnar rod. The shifting unit 15 has a length that is at least as large as the length of the body 3 parallel to the drive axis 6.

[0029] It is now possible to support the driven region 7 by at least one support member separate from the support portion of the main body 3, wherein the at least one support member is in Figure 1 The tilt safety is symbolically represented by arrow 16. This support 16 forms a tilt safety mechanism. The tilt safety is further improved if at least one second support 17 (also symbolically represented by arrow) is provided, acting at a distance from the shifting unit 15. The greater the distance between the two supports 16, 17, the greater the torque that the shifting unit 15 can withstand. Of course, the supports 16, 17 can also withstand forces pointing in the opposite direction to the arrow. Therefore, tilt safety is achieved in two directions.

[0030] Preferably, there are even more than two support members 16, 17, such as four support members, which are distributed along the length of the shifting unit 15.

[0031] Support members 16, 17 (and additional support members if necessary) are arranged in Figure 1 The support structure is not shown in detail. The support structure has sufficient rigidity.

[0032] If as Figure 2As shown, multiple transmission links 1 are assembled, which can further improve the stiffness of the transmission links in a simple way. In principle, the transmission links are constructed in the same way. Each transmission link has a carrier 2, a body 3, a ball head 8 as a drive head, and a spring balancer 9.

[0033] The ball heads 8, i.e., the driven regions 7, are arranged closely adjacent to each other. This means that the distance between the driven regions 7 is less than the distance between the carriers 2. This takes into account the fact that the guide bars in a warp knitting machine are usually also arranged relatively closely adjacent to each other. In addition, the driven regions 7 can be made to support each other, as indicated by arrow 18. The shifting unit 15 is housed in the support 19, but the support can be omitted if the transmission links are respectively constructed such that one transmission link forms a receiving part for the shifting unit 15 of the other transmission link.

[0034] The transmission link 1 is further supported by each other through a more complex relationship.

[0035] When a relatively large torque is applied, carrier 2 can also bend. This risk of bending is minimized through the mutual support of the transmission components, such as... Figure 2 As shown in the diagram. The corresponding supporting force is symbolically represented by arrow 20. This results in a very rigid structure.

[0036] This is achieved in particular by arranging the carriers 2 of the three transmission links 1 at the corners of the first triangle. This triangle is an acute triangle with only acute angles.

[0037] The driven region 7 and its ball head 8 are arranged at the corner of the second triangle, which has an angle different from that of the first triangle. The second triangle is an obtuse triangle with an obtuse angle (i.e., an angle greater than 90°).

[0038] The guide bar drive unit, both individually and assembled from multiple guide bars, exhibits relatively high rigidity with a relatively small mass. This increases the natural frequency of the guide bar drive system and reduces the energy consumption required to drive the guide bar. This results in a more precise guide bar process. Consequently, increased machine speeds and higher precision are possible without compromising the quality of the produced warp-knitted fabrics. Furthermore, the guide bar 1 can be implemented at a lower cost.

Claims

1. A comb drive device for a warp knitting machine, comprising a driven transmission link (1), said transmission link having a driven region (7) and a main body (3) supported in a main support portion and fixed to a movable carrier (2), wherein, The transmission link (1) is driven by a driving force acting along the drive axis (6), and the driven region (7) is arranged laterally offset from the drive axis (6). The driven region (7) has at least one support member (16, 17) separate from the main support portion, the at least one support member forming a tilt safety. In the comb drive device, there are at least two transmission links (1) each having a driven region (7), wherein the driven regions (7) are arranged adjacent to each other, and wherein the at least two transmission links (1) support each other in a direction pointing from the carrier (2) toward the driven region (7).

2. The comb driving device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The driven region (7) has at least two support members (16, 17) arranged at a distance parallel to the drive axis (6).

3. The comb driving device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The driven region (7) has a driven head (8) that continues in a shifting unit (15) extending parallel to the drive axis (6), wherein the support members (16, 17) cooperate with the shifting unit.

4. The comb driving device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The shifting unit (15) has a length parallel to the drive axis (6), the length being at least as large as the length of the body (3).

5. The comb driving device according to claim 3, characterized in that, A spring balancer (9) is fixed at the shifting unit (15).

6. The comb driving device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The main body (3) is fixed to the carrier at at least two main body supports (4,5) arranged at a distance parallel to the drive axis.

7. The comb driving device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The at least two transmission links (1) are arranged in the bracket (19).

8. The comb driving device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The system is provided with three transmission links (1) each having a driven area (7), wherein the carriers (2) of the three transmission links (1) are arranged at the corners of the triangle.

9. The comb driving device according to claim 8, characterized in that, The triangles form a first triangle, and the driven region (7) is arranged at the corner of a second triangle, which has a different angle from the first triangle.

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