A braiding mechanism, a knitting machine and a braiding method

Abstract

This invention provides a knitting mechanism, a knitting machine, and a knitting method. The knitting mechanism includes knitting needles, a cam assembly, and a needle selection assembly. The knitting needles include a hook needle and a connecting needle. The hook needle has a hook needle body and hook needle feet connected to the hook needle body. The connecting needle has a connecting needle body and connecting needle feet connected to the connecting needle body. The top of the connecting needle can be connected to the hook needle. The cam assembly has a connecting needle track, a first hook needle track, and a second hook needle track. By controlling the knitting needle to move along any one of the three tracks—the connecting needle track, the first hook needle track, and the second hook needle track—various pile lengths of pile, including no pile, short pile, medium pile, and long pile, can be achieved. This allows the cut loop pile fabric to present more three-dimensional patterns, increasing the variety of patterns available for cut loop pile fabric and meeting consumer demand.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of knitting, and more particularly to a knitting mechanism, a knitting machine, and a knitting method. Background Technology

[0002] The surface of cut loop fleece has a nap, which gives the fabric a pleasant feel and good warmth, making it very popular in the market. Different lengths of nap can be woven into different areas of the same piece of cut loop fleece fabric to create a variety of patterns. The distinct three-dimensional effect greatly enriches the styles of cut loop fleece and meets the needs of different consumers.

[0003] While cut loop fleece fabric can currently achieve both lint-free and low-pile and high-pile lengths, it cannot achieve the weaving of more different pile lengths. This greatly limits the development of cut loop fleece fabric styles and prevents it from presenting more three-dimensional patterns. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention provides a knitting mechanism, a knitting machine, and a knitting method, which can realize the knitting of various pile lengths such as long pile, medium pile, and short pile in cut loop fleece fabric.

[0005] The technical solution of this invention is implemented as follows:

[0006] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide a knitting mechanism for a knitting machine, including knitting needles, a cam assembly, and a needle selection assembly; the knitting needles include a hook needle and a connecting needle, the hook needle having a hook needle body and hook needle feet connected to the hook needle body, and the connecting needle having a connecting needle body and connecting needle feet connected to the connecting needle body; the top of the connecting needle can be connected to the hook needle; the cam assembly has a connecting needle track, a first hook needle track, and a second hook needle track; the needle selection assembly has:

[0007] The first needle selection unit is used to control the hook needle foot of the knitting needle that has entered the needle receiving track to enter the first hook needle track, so that the knitting needle moves along the needle receiving track;

[0008] The second needle selection unit is used to control the hook needle foot of the knitting needle that has entered the needle receiving track to enter the second hook needle track, so that the knitting needle moves along the first hook needle track;

[0009] The third needle selection unit is used to control the crochet needle to enter the second crochet track, so that the knitting needle moves along the second crochet track.

[0010] In one embodiment, the crochet hook has an inlet portion, the width of which gradually decreases in the direction away from the crochet hook body.

[0011] In one embodiment, the inlet portion is trapezoidal or triangular in shape.

[0012] In one embodiment, the entrance to the first hook track is wider on the outside and narrower on the inside, and / or

[0013] The entrance to the second hook track is wider on the outside and narrower on the inside.

[0014] In one embodiment, the needle receiving track, the first hook track, and the second hook track are all groove tracks; the first hook track has an outwardly extending guide portion on its groove wall away from the second hook track; the first hook track has a first guide ramp on its groove wall near the second hook track; the guide portion and the first guide ramp constitute the entrance of the first hook track.

[0015] In one embodiment, the first hook track has a second guide ramp on its groove wall near the second hook track.

[0016] In one embodiment, the triangular assembly includes a plurality of knitting triangles, which are arranged sequentially along a preset knitting direction as a cast-on triangle, a cast-off triangle, a plain knit triangle, and a cut-away triangle.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the knitting mechanism of the present invention has a needle receiving track, a first hook track, and a second hook track on the triangular assembly. The needle selection assembly has a first needle selection unit, a second needle selection unit, and a third needle selection unit. The first needle selection unit can control whether the needle receiving foot enters the needle receiving track. If the needle receiving foot does not enter the needle receiving track, and the hook stitch does not enter the first or second hook track, the knitting needle moves horizontally and does not exit the knitting mechanism, and the knitting mechanism performs fuzz-free knitting. According to the control of the first, second, and third needle selection units, the knitting needle can be controlled to move along any one of the three tracks: the needle receiving track, the first hook track, and the second hook track, thereby realizing the knitting of various pile lengths such as long pile, short pile, and medium pile. This allows the cut loop pile fabric to present more three-dimensional patterns, increases the pattern styles of cut loop pile pile fabric, and meets consumer demand.

[0018] Secondly, embodiments of the present invention provide a knitting machine including the aforementioned knitting mechanism.

[0019] Compared with the prior art, the knitting machine provided by the present invention has the same beneficial effects as the knitting mechanism of the above-mentioned technical solutions, which will not be elaborated here.

[0020] Thirdly, embodiments of the present invention provide a weaving method, comprising:

[0021] The first needle selection unit controls the needle to enter the needle receiving track of the triangular assembly or to be placed into the needle cylinder of the knitting machine;

[0022] When the first needle selection unit controls the needle of the knitting needle to enter the needle receiving track of the cam assembly, the second needle selection unit can control the needle of the knitting needle to continue moving along the needle receiving track of the cam assembly or to be placed into the needle cylinder of the knitting machine.

[0023] When the second needle selection unit controls the needle to be inserted into the cylinder of the knitting machine, the hook needle foot of the knitting needle enters the first hook track for short-hair knitting.

[0024] When the second needle selection unit controls the needle of the knitting needle to continue moving along the needle track of the cam assembly, the third needle selection unit can control the needle of the knitting needle to continue moving along the needle track of the cam assembly or to be placed into the cylinder of the knitting machine.

[0025] When the third needle selection unit controls the needle to be inserted into the cylinder of the knitting machine, the hook needle foot of the knitting needle enters the second hook needle track for medium-density knitting;

[0026] When the third needle selection unit controls the needle to continue moving along the needle track of the triangular assembly, the needle drives the hook to move along the direction of the needle track to perform long-pile knitting.

[0027] Compared with the prior art, the weaving method provided by the present invention has the same beneficial effects as the weaving mechanism of the above-mentioned technical solutions, which will not be elaborated here. Attached Figure Description

[0028] The accompanying drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention and, together with the description thereof, serve to explain the principles of the invention. These drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification.

[0029] Figure 1 A schematic diagram illustrating the working principle of the weaving mechanism of the present invention is shown;

[0030] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of the knitting needle of the present invention when the needle is selected is shown;

[0031] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A magnified schematic diagram of the local structure at point B;

[0032] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of the knitting needle of the present invention when the needle is knocked off is shown;

[0033] Figure 5A partial structural schematic diagram of the triangular component in this invention is shown;

[0034] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the knitting machine of the present invention is shown;

[0035] Figure 7 for Figure 6 A magnified schematic diagram of the structure at point A in the middle.

[0036] In the picture:

[0037] Knitting machine 100, knitting mechanism 200, knitting needle 210, crochet hook 211, needle attaching 212, cam assembly 220, needle attaching track 221, first crochet track 222, second crochet track 223, needle selection assembly 230, first needle selection unit 231, second needle selection unit 232, third needle selection unit 233, crochet body 2111, crochet needle foot 2112, guide part 21121, needle attaching body 2121, needle attaching needle foot 2122, guide part 2221, first guide slope 2222, second guide slope 2231, starting cam 220A, ending cam 220B, plain knit cam 220C, trimmed cam 220D, reset cam 220E. Detailed Implementation

[0038] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Furthermore, it should be noted that, for ease of description, only the parts relevant to the present invention are shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0039] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this invention can be combined with each other. The invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0040] It should be understood that the various steps described in the method embodiments of the present invention may be performed in different orders and / or in parallel. Furthermore, the method embodiments may include additional steps and / or omit the steps shown. The scope of the present invention is not limited in this respect.

[0041] The term "comprising" and its variations as used herein are open-ended, meaning "including but not limited to". The term "based on" means "at least partially based on". The term "one embodiment" means "at least one embodiment"; the term "another embodiment" means "at least one additional embodiment"; the term "some embodiments" means "at least some embodiments". Definitions of other terms will be given in the description below. It should be noted that the concepts of "first", "second", etc., mentioned in this invention are used only to distinguish different devices, components, or mechanisms, and are not intended to limit the order or interdependence of these devices, components, or mechanisms.

[0042] It should be noted that the terms "a" and "a plurality of" used in this invention are illustrative rather than restrictive. Those skilled in the art should understand that, unless otherwise expressly indicated in the context, they should be understood as "one or more".

[0043] Reference Figures 1-7 An embodiment of the present invention provides a knitting machine 100, including a knitting mechanism. The knitting mechanism 200 of the knitting machine 100 is capable of simultaneously knitting various pile lengths of plush fabrics, such as non-pile, long-pile, medium-pile, and short-pile, to achieve four-station cut-loop jacquard knitting.

[0044] In one embodiment, the knitting mechanism 200 includes a knitting needle 210, a cam assembly 220, and a needle selection assembly 230; the knitting needle 210 includes a hook 211 and a connecting needle 212, the hook 211 having a hook body 2111 and a hook needle foot 2112 connected to the hook body 2111, the connecting needle 212 having a connecting needle body 2121 and a connecting needle foot 2122 connected to the connecting needle body 2121; the top of the connecting needle 212 can be connected to the hook 211; the cam assembly 220 has a connecting needle track 221, a first hook track 222, and a second hook track 223.

[0045] Reference Figures 1-4 The needle selection assembly 230 has:

[0046] The first needle selection unit 231 controls the needle receiving foot 2122 to enter the needle receiving track 221, so that the knitting needle 210 moves along the needle receiving track 221;

[0047] The second needle selection unit 232 controls the hook needle foot 2112 of the knitting needle 210 that has entered the needle receiving track 211 to enter the first hook track 222, so that the knitting needle 210 moves along the first hook track 222;

[0048] The third needle selection unit 233 controls the hook needle foot 2112 of the knitting needle 210 that has entered the needle receiving track 211 to enter the second hook track 223, so that the knitting needle 210 moves along the second hook track 223.

[0049] Based on the above structure, the first needle selection unit 231 of the knitting mechanism 200 of the present invention can control whether the needle receiving foot 2122 of the receiving needle 212 enters the receiving track 221. When the first needle selection unit 231 controls the receiving needle 212 to be placed into the needle cylinder of the knitting machine, the needle receiving foot 2122 does not enter the receiving track. When the knitting needle 210 moves along the horizontal trajectory, the knitting needle 210 does not exit, and the knitting mechanism 200 performs lint-free knitting.

[0050] When the first needle selection unit 231 controls the receiving needle 212 of the knitting needle 210 to enter the receiving needle track 221 of the cam assembly 220, the knitting needle 210 will select to perform short-pile knitting, medium-pile knitting, or long-pile knitting according to the control of the second needle selection unit 232 and the third needle selection unit 233, as follows:

[0051] When the needle receiving needle 2122 of the knitting needle 210 enters the needle receiving track 221 under the control of the first needle selection unit 231, if the second needle selection unit 232 controls the needle receiving needle 212 of the knitting needle 210 to be placed into the needle cylinder of the knitting machine, then the hook needle 2112 of the knitting needle 210 enters the first hook track 222, and at this time the knitting mechanism 200 performs short-pile knitting.

[0052] If the second needle selection unit 232 does not control the needle 212 to be placed into the needle cylinder of the knitting machine, the needle 210 will be controlled by the third needle selection unit 233. If the third needle selection unit 233 controls the needle 212 to be placed into the needle cylinder of the knitting machine, the hook stitch 2112 of the needle 212 will enter the second hook track 223, and the knitting mechanism 200 will perform medium-pile knitting.

[0053] If the third needle selection unit 233 also fails to control the needle 212 to be placed into the needle cylinder of the knitting machine, the needle 212 is connected to the hook 211, and the needle 212 drives the hook 211 to move along the track of the needle track 221, and the knitting mechanism performs long-pile knitting.

[0054] As can be seen from the above, the knitting mechanism 200 of this disclosure is applied to the knitting machine 100, so that the knitting machine 100 has a non-pillow knitting station, a short-pillow knitting station, a medium-pillow knitting station and a long-pillow knitting station.

[0055] In one embodiment, the cam assembly 220 includes several knitting cams, which are sequentially arranged along a preset knitting direction, including a cast-on cam 220A, a bind-off cam 220B, a plain knit cam 220C, and a cut-away cam 220D. The cast-on cam 220A has a needle receiving track 221, and the bind-off cam 220B has a needle receiving track 221, a first hook track 222, and a second hook track 223. The needle selection assembly 230 can control the needle receiving 212 to be inserted into the needle cylinder of the knitting machine 210.

[0056] For example, the first needle selection unit 231 can control the needle receiving 212 of the knitting needle 210 to be placed into the needle cylinder before the knitting needle 210 enters the starting cam 220A, so that the knitting needle 210 enters the burr-free knitting station;

[0057] The second needle selection unit 232 can control the needle 210 to be inserted into the needle cylinder after the needle 2122 of the needle 210 enters the needle 221 of the starting triangle 220A and before it enters the needle 221 of the taking-off triangle 220B, so that the hook needle 2112 of the needle 210 moves along the first hook needle track 222 and the needle 210 enters the short-hair knitting station.

[0058] After the needle receiving stitch 2122 of the knitting needle 210 enters the needle receiving track 221 of the take-off triangle 220B, the third needle selection unit 233 can control the needle receiving stitch 212 of the knitting needle 210 to be placed into the needle cylinder, so that the hook stitch 2112 of the knitting needle 210 moves along the second hook track 223 and the knitting needle 210 enters the medium wool knitting station.

[0059] After the needle insertion point 2122 of the knitting needle 210 enters the needle insertion track 221 of the take-off triangle 220B, the third needle selection unit 233 can cause the needle insertion point 212 of the knitting needle 210 to drive the hook 211 of the knitting needle 210 to move along the needle insertion track 221, so that the knitting needle 210 enters the long-pile knitting station.

[0060] Therefore, the knitting mechanism 200 of the present invention can control the knitting needle 210 to move along any one of the three tracks: the needle receiving track 221, the first crochet track 222, and the second crochet track 223, thereby realizing the knitting of pile with various pile lengths such as no pile, long pile, short pile, and medium pile; enabling the cut loop pile fabric to present more three-dimensional patterns, increasing the pattern styles of cut loop pile pile fabric, and meeting the needs of consumers.

[0061] In one embodiment, the first needle selection unit 231, the second needle selection unit 232, and the third needle selection unit 233 can be separate first needle selectors, second needle selectors, and third needle selectors, respectively. Alternatively, multiple needle selectors can cooperate to achieve the above functions, or they can be integrated into a needle selection device with multiple needle selection units.

[0062] For example, when the first needle selection unit 231, the second needle selection unit 232, and the third needle selection unit 233 are the first needle selector, the second needle selector, and the third needle selector respectively:

[0063] The needle selection unit of the first needle selector is located in front of the needle receiving track of the starting triangle;

[0064] The needle selection unit of the second needle selector is located in front of the needle receiving track of the needle receiving triangle;

[0065] The needle selection unit of the third needle selector is located in front of the second hook track of the take-off triangle.

[0066] In one embodiment, the knitting mechanism 200 further includes a reset triangle 220E for resetting the needle receiving portion of the selected needle assembly that has been oscillating. (See also...) Figure 1 In this context, direction C is the direction in which the needle selection component controls the needle swing, and direction D is the direction in which the reset triangle 220E controls the needle reset.

[0067] In one example, refer to Figures 2-4 The crochet hook foot 2112 has an inlet portion 21121, the width of which gradually decreases away from the crochet hook body 2111. In this embodiment, the inlet portion 21121 is provided on the crochet hook foot 2112, and its width gradually decreases away from the crochet hook body 2111, creating a design that is narrower on the outside and wider on the inside. This allows the crochet hook foot 2112 to easily enter the first crochet track 222 and the second crochet track 223, avoiding the problem of the crochet hook foot 2112 being blocked by the partition portion located between the first and second crochet tracks 222 and 223 in the triangular assembly 220 when entering the first or second crochet track 222 or the second crochet track 223, thus preventing the crochet hook 211 from smoothly entering the first or second crochet track 222 or the second crochet track 223. Alternatively, the inlet portion 21121 can be trapezoidal or triangular in shape to achieve the above-mentioned technical effect.

[0068] In one example, refer to Figure 1 and Figure 5 The entrance of the first crochet track 222 is set to be wider on the outside and narrower on the inside. In this embodiment, by setting the entrance of the first crochet track 222 to be wider on the outside and narrower on the inside, the crochet needle foot 2112 can smoothly enter the first crochet track 222 from the entrance of the first crochet track 222. Similarly, the entrance of the second crochet track 223 can also be set to be wider on the outside and narrower on the inside.

[0069] In one example, refer to Figure 1 and Figure 5 The needle rail 221, the first hook rail 222, and the second hook rail 223 are all grooved rails; the first hook rail 222 has an outwardly extending guide portion 2221 on its groove wall away from the second hook rail 223; the first hook rail 222 has a first guide slope 2222 on its groove wall near the second hook rail 223; the guide portion 2221 and the first guide slope 2222 constitute the entrance of the first hook rail 222.

[0070] Because the first hook track 222 and the second hook track 223 are adjacent in the triangular assembly 220 with a small gap between them, and there is a partition between the first hook track 222 and the cutting needle track of the triangular assembly 220, when the hook 211 enters the first hook track 222, it is easy to accidentally enter the second hook track 223, or be blocked by the partition between the first hook track 222 and the cutting needle track of the triangular assembly 220. In the above example, by providing an outwardly extending guide 2221 on the groove wall of the first hook track 222 away from the second hook track 223, when the hook 211 wants to enter the first hook track 222, it can first run along the guide 2221, thereby smoothly entering the first hook track 222 and avoiding the problem of accidentally entering the second hook track 223, or getting stuck in the partition between the first hook track 222 and the cutting needle track on the triangular assembly 220.

[0071] In one example, refer to Figure 1 and Figure 5 The first hook track 222 has a second guide ramp 2231 on its groove wall near the second hook track 223. Since the first hook track 222 and the second hook track 223 are adjacent in the triangular assembly 220, and the partition between them is small, the hook 211 is prone to accidentally entering the first hook track 222 or being blocked by the partition between the first hook track 222 and the second hook track 223 when entering the second hook track 223. In the above example, the first hook track 222 forms a second guide ramp 2231 on its groove wall near the second hook track 223, allowing the hook needle 2112 to smoothly enter the second hook track 223 along the second guide ramp 2231.

[0072] Reference Figures 1-5 The present invention also provides a weaving method, comprising:

[0073] The first needle selection unit 231 controls the needle receiving 212 of the knitting needle 210 to enter the needle receiving track 221 of the cam assembly 220 or to be placed into the needle cylinder of the knitting machine 100.

[0074] When the first needle selection unit 231 controls the needle 212 of the knitting needle 210 to enter the needle track 221 of the cam assembly 220, the second needle selection unit 232 can control the needle 212 of the knitting needle to continue to move along the needle track 221 of the cam assembly 220 or to be placed into the cylinder of the knitting machine 100.

[0075] When the second needle selection unit 232 controls the needle 210 to be inserted into the needle cylinder of the knitting machine 100, the hook needle foot 2112 of the knitting needle 210 enters the first hook track 222 to perform short-hair knitting.

[0076] When the second needle selection unit 232 controls the needle receiving 212 of the knitting needle 210 to continue moving along the needle receiving track 221 of the cam assembly 220, the third needle selection unit 233 can control the needle receiving 212 of the knitting needle 210 to continue moving along the needle receiving track 221 of the cam assembly 220 or to be placed into the needle cylinder of the knitting machine 100.

[0077] When the third needle selection unit 233 controls the needle 210 to be inserted into the needle cylinder of the knitting machine 100, the hook needle foot 2112 of the knitting needle 210 enters the second hook track 223 to perform medium-pile knitting.

[0078] When the third needle selection unit 233 controls the needle 210 to continue moving along the needle track 221 of the triangular assembly 220, the needle 212 of the needle drives the hook 211 to move along the direction of the needle track 221 to perform long-pile knitting.

[0079] This embodiment describes the weaving method corresponding to the above-mentioned weaving mechanism 200. Therefore, the principle and effect of this embodiment have already been described in the embodiments of the above-mentioned weaving mechanism 200, and will not be described again in this embodiment.

[0080] Those skilled in the art should understand that the above embodiments are merely for illustrating the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Those skilled in the art can make other changes or modifications based on the above invention, and these changes or modifications still fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A knitting mechanism for a knitting machine, characterized in that, The system includes knitting needles, a cam assembly, and a needle selection assembly. The knitting needles include a hook needle and a connecting needle. The hook needle has a hook needle body and hook needle feet connected to the hook needle body. The connecting needle has a connecting needle body and connecting needle feet connected to the connecting needle body. The top of the connecting needle can be connected to the hook needle. The cam assembly has a connecting needle track, a first hook needle track, and a second hook needle track. The needle selection assembly includes a first needle selection unit, a second needle selection unit, and a third needle selection unit. The first needle selection unit is used to control the needle insertion foot to enter the needle insertion track, so that the knitting needle moves along the needle insertion track; The second needle selection unit is used to control the hook needle foot of the knitting needle that has entered the needle receiving track to enter the first hook needle track, so that the knitting needle moves along the first hook needle track; The third needle selection unit is used to control the hook needle foot of the knitting needle that has entered the needle receiving track to enter the second hook needle track, so that the knitting needle moves along the second hook needle track; The needle receiving track, the first hook track, and the second hook track are all groove tracks; the first hook track has an outwardly extending guide portion on its groove wall away from the second hook track; the first hook track has a first guide slope on its groove wall near the second hook track; the guide portion and the first guide slope constitute the entrance of the first hook track.

2. The weaving mechanism as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The crochet hook has an inlet portion, the width of which gradually decreases in the direction away from the hook body.

3. The weaving mechanism as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The inlet section is trapezoidal or triangular in shape.

4. The weaving mechanism as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The entrance to the first hook track is wider on the outside and narrower on the inside, and / or The entrance to the second hook track is wider on the outside and narrower on the inside.

5. The weaving mechanism as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first hook track has a second guide ramp on its groove wall near the second hook track.

6. The weaving mechanism as described in any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The triangular component includes several knitting triangles, which are arranged sequentially along a preset knitting direction as a cast-on triangle, a cast-off triangle, a plain knit triangle, and a cut-away triangle.

7. A knitting machine, characterized in that, Includes the weaving mechanism as described in any one of claims 1-6.

8. A weaving method for use with the weaving mechanism as described in any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The weaving method includes: The first needle selection unit controls the needle to enter the needle receiving track of the triangular assembly or to be placed into the needle cylinder of the knitting machine; When the first needle selection unit controls the needle of the knitting needle to enter the needle receiving track of the cam assembly, the second needle selection unit can control the needle of the knitting needle to continue moving along the needle receiving track of the cam assembly or to be placed into the needle cylinder of the knitting machine. When the second needle selection unit controls the needle to be inserted into the cylinder of the knitting machine, the hook needle foot of the knitting needle enters the first hook track for short-hair knitting. When the second needle selection unit controls the needle of the knitting needle to continue moving along the needle track of the cam assembly, the third needle selection unit can control the needle of the knitting needle to continue moving along the needle track of the cam assembly or to be placed into the cylinder of the knitting machine. When the third needle selection unit controls the needle to be inserted into the cylinder of the knitting machine, the hook needle foot of the knitting needle enters the second hook needle track for medium-density knitting; When the third needle selection unit controls the needle to continue moving along the needle track of the triangular assembly, the needle drives the hook to move along the direction of the needle track to perform long-pile knitting.

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