Flat knitting machine and sinker for terry knitting and terry knitting method in flat knitting machine

Abstract

The present invention provides a flat knitting machine and a sinker for terry knitting, as well as a terry knitting method in the flat knitting machine. Terry knitting and plain knitting can be switched so that they exist in a mixed state. At the position that determines the knitting density, in plain knitting, both the ground yarn and the terry yarn are hooked on the ground yarn hook to form a sinker loop of a new loop, and are detached from the ground yarn hook until the sinker re-enters the position. As for the old loop, when the needle hook enters the tooth mouth, the needle tongue is opened and moved to the needle bar side to be unhooked. When the knitting needle is pulled in from the tooth mouth, it relatively enters the tooth mouth side, closes the needle tongue while passing over the needle hook, and is unhooked to the tooth mouth side. Even if the unhooked old loop is retained near the tooth mouth, it can be pressed into the lower part of the tooth mouth by the pressing part of the sinker before the re-entry position. In terry knitting, by pressing the terry yarn hooked on the ground yarn hook in the re-entry position, the ground yarn and the old loop can be pressed in.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a flat knitting machine and a sinker for terry knitting capable of performing terry knitting using a ground yarn and a terry yarn, and a terry knitting method using the flat knitting machine. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, flatbed knitting machines capable of terry knitting feed ground yarn and loop yarn to knitting needles, separating the ground and loop yarns at the tip of a movable sinker to form a terry knitted fabric. The sinker has hooks at the tip of each to catch the ground and loop yarns. Separation is achieved by first feeding the ground yarn and hooking it to the ground yarn hook, followed by feeding the loop yarn and hooking it to the loop yarn hook. Such sinkers can form the sinker loops for the loop yarn longer than those for the ground yarn, forming loops. Terry knitted gloves (e.g., see Patent Document 1) are knitted with loops from the fingertips to the wrist, with rubber thread inserted at the wrist in a tucked loop pattern, leaving the loops exposed inward. Such gloves can be coated with latex or other materials on the outside to provide waterproof and cold-proof properties, or by using aramid fibers or other materials for the loop yarn, with the loops positioned on the outside to provide cut resistance and heat resistance. The terry knitted fabric can also be formed into socks, and can have a cold-proof function by, for example, positioning the terry loops on the inside.

[0003] A flatbed knitting machine using a movable sinker for terry knitting can efficiently perform only terry knitting. If only ground yarn is used instead of terry yarn, sections in which plain knitting is performed can also be mixed. However, if only ground yarn is used for plain knitting, the terry yarn will not be knitted into the knitted fabric from the end of a terry knitting section to the beginning of the next terry knitting section, but will instead cross over.

[0004]

Prior art literature

[0005] [Patent Literature]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 61-20668 Summary of the Invention

[0007] [Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

[0008] Terry knitted fabrics for gloves and socks knitted using a terry knitting method such as that described in Patent Document 1 have terry loops formed entirely on the inside or outside surface, while the other surface is terry-free. If terry knitting and plain knitting without terry loops could be freely mixed, new designs could be expected, as well as improved anti-slip and gripping effects due to the uneven texture.

[0009] An object of the present invention is to provide a flat knitting machine and a sinker for terry knitting, and a terry knitting method using the flat knitting machine, which are capable of switching between terry knitting and plain knitting so as to allow the two to coexist.

[0010]

Methods for solving the problem

[0011] The present invention provides a flat knitting machine for terry knitting, comprising knitting needles and sinkers, wherein the knitting needles are arranged in parallel in the longitudinal direction of the needle bed and advance and retreat in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. When entering a tooth gap, the sinkers rise.

[0012] The sinker has a bottom yarn hanging claw and a terry yarn hanging claw at the front end.

[0013] While separating the bottom yarn supplied from the yarn feeding port ahead of the tooth gap and the terry yarn supplied from the yarn feeding port behind at the front end of the sinker, terry knitting is performed, which is characterized in that

[0014] The flat knitting machine for terry knitting includes a switching unit, which switches the positions of the ground yarn and the terry yarn feed ports above the tooth opening in the following manner:

[0015] In terry knitting to form loops, the yarn feeder for the ground yarn is switched to go first, and the yarn feeder for the loop yarn is switched to go later with some intervals;

[0016] In the case of knitting without forming loops, the yarn feed port of the following loop yarn is switched to be close to the yarn feed port side of the preceding ground yarn during the loop knitting, and is not within the range where the front end of the sinker is separated.

[0017] In knitting without forming terry loops, the ground yarn and the terry yarn are caught by the hooks of the knitting needles to form needle loops, and both the ground yarn and the terry yarn are hooked on the ground yarn hooking claws of the sinker to form sinker loops, thereby enabling plain knitting without terry loops.

[0018] Furthermore, in the present invention, it is characterized in that the knitting needles and the sinkers are driven by a driving mechanism so as to advance and retreat relative to the tooth gap, respectively, and the driving mechanism is mounted on a carriage that reciprocates along the longitudinal direction of the needle bed.

[0019] A yarn feed port for feeding the ground yarn and a yarn feed port for feeding the terry yarn are provided on a self-propelled carriage that travels independently of the reciprocating carriage and can follow the carriage.

[0020] In addition, the present invention is characterized in that the sinker has a pressing portion near the front end on the tooth gap side, and the pressing portion protrudes downward and can press the base yarn and the terry yarn on the advance and retreat path into the tooth gap by entering into the tooth gap.

[0021] In addition, the present invention is characterized in that after the sinker enters the tooth mouth when determining the knitting density (degree decision), it temporarily retreats from the tooth mouth and then enters the tooth mouth again, and at least when re-entering, the pressing part enters further below the tooth mouth than the top tooth position set on the needle bed.

[0022] Furthermore, the present invention provides a sinker for a flat knitting machine for terry knitting, which has a bottom yarn hanging claw and a terry yarn hanging claw at the front end that advances and retreats relative to the tooth gap, and can separate the bottom yarn and the terry yarn, and is characterized in that:

[0023] A pressing portion is provided near the front end. The pressing portion projects downward and can press the ground yarn and the terry yarn on the advance and retreat path toward the needle bed gap by entering the needle bed gap.

[0024] Furthermore, the present invention provides a terry knitting method in a flat knitting machine, wherein the flat knitting machine comprises a knitting needle that enters a tooth gap while ascending and a sinker that advances and retreats relative to the tooth gap.

[0025] There are bottom yarn hanging claws and terry yarn hanging claws at the front end of the sinker.

[0026] The ground yarn supplied first and the terry yarn supplied later above the tooth gap are caught by the hook of the knitting needle retreating from the tooth gap.

[0027] While separating the ground yarn and the terry yarn at the front end of the sinker, the sinker loops of the ground yarn and the loops of the terry yarn are formed respectively. The invention is characterized in that:

[0028] The feeding positions of the ground yarn and the terry yarn above the tooth gap are switched as follows:

[0029] In the terry knitting process, the yarn feeder for the base yarn is switched to go first, and the yarn feeder for the terry yarn is switched to go later with some intervals.

[0030] In the case of knitting without forming loops, the yarn feed port of the following loop yarn is switched to be close to the yarn feed port side of the preceding ground yarn during the loop knitting, and is not within the range where the front end of the sinker is separated.

[0031] In knitting without forming pile loops, the ground yarn and pile loops are caught by the needle hooks to form needle loops, and both the ground yarn and pile loops are hooked on the ground yarn hooking claws of the sinker to form sinker loops, thereby enabling flat knitting without pile loops.

[0032] Effects of the invention

[0033] According to the present invention, a flat knitting machine for terry knitting can switch between terry knitting (forming terry loops) and plain knitting (not forming terry loops) on any knitting needle by simply activating the switching mechanism. Even in the middle of a course, plain knitting can be mixed with terry knitting in the wale direction on a course-by-course basis without generating any interleaved yarns. Terry knitted fabrics mixed with plain knitting can be expected to offer new design possibilities and improved anti-slip and gripping properties due to the uneven texture.

[0034] Furthermore, according to the present invention, since the yarn feeder for supplying the ground yarn and the terry yarn is of a self-propelled type, it is possible to efficiently switch between terry knitting and plain knitting by switching the yarn feed position.

[0035] Furthermore, according to the present invention, even if an old stitch that has been knocked over is retained near the needle gap during plain knitting, the sinker's pressing portion can be used to push it downward toward the needle gap. The pushing portion of the sinker prevents the old stitch from being retained when the needle hook subsequently enters the needle gap, thereby enabling stable plain knitting.

[0036] Furthermore, according to the present invention, the flat knitting machine for terry knitting allows the pressing portion of the sinker to enter below the tooth gap below the top tooth position of the needle bed when re-entering, so even if the old loop is retained near the tooth gap, it can be reliably pressed below the tooth gap.

[0037] Furthermore, according to the present invention, the sinker used in the terry knitting machine can press the old loops that are left behind and retained near the tooth gap during plain knitting toward the lower side of the tooth gap by the pressing portion, thereby stably performing plain knitting mixed with terry knitting.

[0038] Furthermore, according to the present invention, terry knitting and plain knitting can be switched so as to be mixed in the middle of a course and also mixed in the wale direction in units of courses. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0039] Figure 1 It is a right side sectional view showing a simplified structure of a main part of a terry knitting flat knitting machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] Figure 2 It is a layout diagram of the cam that drives the knitting needles 12 and the sinker 13.

[0041] Figure 3 It is a simplified side cross-sectional view showing the operation of pile knitting by the knitting needles 12 and the sinker 13.

[0042] Figure 4 It is a simplified side cross-sectional view showing the operation of plain knitting by the knitting needles 12 and the sinker 13.

[0043] Figure 5It is a partial side cross-sectional view showing the structure and operation of the pressing portions 13 g and 13 h provided on the sinker 13 .

[0044] Figure 6 It means by Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a photograph in lieu of a drawing showing the appearance of a glove 50 knitted by the terry knitting flat knitting machine 1. FIG.

[0045] [Description of Reference Numerals]

[0046] 1 Flat knitting machine for terry knitting

[0047] 2 needle bed

[0048] 3 teeth

[0049] 6 Coil suppression rod

[0050] 6a Top tooth

[0051] 8, 9 yarn feed port

[0052] 10 base yarn

[0053] 11 Terry yarn

[0054] 12 knitting needles

[0055] 12a needle hook

[0056] 13 Sinker

[0057] 13c Terry yarn hanging claw

[0058] 13d base yarn hanging claw

[0059] 13g, 13h press-fit part

[0060] 20 Braiding triangle

[0061] 30 sinker triangle

[0062] 40 New Coil

[0063] 41 Old Coil

[0064] 50 gloves DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0065] the following, Figures 1 to 6 The structure and operation of a terry knitting machine 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention are shown. Corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals in the various figures, and duplicate descriptions may be omitted. Furthermore, for ease of explanation, parts not shown in the figure being described may be denoted by reference numerals in other figures.

[0066] [Example]

[0067] Figure 1 The structure of the main components of a flat knitting machine 1 for terry knitting, which is one embodiment of the present invention, is simplified. The flat knitting machine 1 for terry knitting has front and rear needle beds 2. The front and rear needle beds 2 are opposed to each other with a needle gap 3 interposed therebetween and are arranged in a plane-symmetrical manner about a needle gap center plane 3a. The portion of the needle gap 3 sandwiched between the front and rear needle beds 2 is a rectangular shape elongated in the depth direction of the figure when viewed from above. This depth direction is hereinafter referred to as the longitudinal direction. Each needle bed 2 has a base plate 4 and needle plates 5 arranged at regular intervals along the longitudinal direction of the base plate 4. A stitch suppressor 6 is arranged on the tooth gap 3 side of the base plate 4. The stitch suppressor 6 is used to knit the fingertips of a glove while performing a finger-overlapping (strand-heavy) process, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-019062. A sinker bed 7 is arranged above each needle bed 2 on the tooth gap 3 side. Yarn feeders 8 and 9 are arranged above the tooth gap 3 to supply a ground yarn 10 and a terry yarn 11 for terry knitting, respectively. A yarn path guide extending in the longitudinal direction is provided above the yarn feed ports 8 and 9. A track is provided on the yarn path guide to support the yarn guide so that the yarn guide can travel in the longitudinal direction. The yarn feed ports 8 and 9 are respectively provided at the lower end of the yarn feeder hanging from the yarn guide.

[0068] The space between the needle plates 5 of the needle bed 2 forms a needle groove, and the knitting needles 12 are accommodated in a sliding state. The knitting needles 12 have a hook 12a at the front end on the side of the tooth opening 3. The knitting needles 12 are latch needles, and the hook opening of the hook 12a, which is open on the side away from the tooth opening 3, is opened and closed by the latch 12b. The knitting needles 12 slide in an inclined direction, such as the hook 12a rises while entering the tooth opening 3 and descends while retreating. On the sinker bed 7, the sinker 13 is arranged so as to be in the middle of the adjacent knitting needles 12. The sinker 13 has an advancing surface 13a and a retreating surface 13b, and is driven by the sinker cam 30 described later so that the front end having the hook 13c for the terry yarn and the hook 13d for the bottom yarn advances and retreats relative to the tooth opening 3. The sliding of the sinker 13 based on this drive is carried out in an inclined direction, such as descending while entering the tooth opening 3 and ascending while retreating. The thin dotted line indicates a state where the front end has entered the tooth gap 3 to the greatest extent.

[0069] Figure 2The figure shows the arrangement of the knitting cam 20 and sinker cam 30, which serve as the driving mechanism for driving the knitting needles 12 and sinkers 13. This arrangement of cams is generally described in Japanese Patent No. 5079682 and other publications. The cams are mounted on a carriage that reciprocates in the longitudinal direction of the needle bed 2. The carriage has cam plates facing the needle bed 2 and the sinker bed 7, respectively. The knitting cam 20 is mounted on the cam plate facing the needle bed 2. The knitting cam 20 includes a guide cam 21, a rubber mountain cam 22, a starter cam 23, a caster cam 24, a Zhongshan cam 25, a Tianshan cam 26, a starter cam 27, a stitch forming cam 28, and a guide cam 29. When the carriage moves to the left in the figure while performing terry or plain knitting, the knitting cam 20 acts on the butt of the knitting needle 12, driving the needle 12 as indicated by the trajectory 12c. The hook 12a moves forward and backward relative to the needle bed gap 3 along a trajectory obtained by moving the trajectory 12c toward the needle bed gap 3 by the distance between the needle butt and the hook 12a.

[0070] The sinker cam 30 is mounted on the triangular plate facing the sinker bed 7. The sinker cam 30 has an entry cam surface 30a and a retreat cam surface 30b. As shown by the dotted lines on the right side of the figure, the entry cam surface 30a and the retreat cam surface 30b press the entry surface 13a and the retreat surface 13b of the sinker 13, respectively. Attached to the sinker cam 30 are movable cams 31 and 32. The movable cam 31 is a pin-butt-shaped portion of the sinker 13 having the retreat surface 13b, and presses the surface opposite the retreat surface 13b in the direction of entering the tooth gap 3. This push creates a hill that enters the tooth gap 3, and then, on the subsequent retreat cam surface 30b, the sinker 13 forms a valley that retreats from the tooth gap 3 toward the sinker bed 7. The movable cam 32 is hidden in the sinker cam 30 and does not function when traveling to the left of the triangular seat slide. Therefore, the sinker 13 is driven by a combination of driving the advancing cam surface 30a and the movable cam 31 in the advancing direction toward the needle bed gap 3 and driving the retreating cam surface 30b in the retreating direction from the needle bed gap 3. Due to this driving, the leading end and the trailing end of the sinker 13 pass through the tracks 13e and 13f.

[0071] The feeding positions 8a, 8b, 8c, 9a, 9b, and 9c of the ground yarn 10 and the terry yarn 11 from the yarn feed ports 8 and 9 are set at the positions indicated by the triangles, based on the arrangement of the knitting cams 20. Regarding the feeding positions 8a and 9a during terry knitting, the feeding position 8a of the ground yarn 10 precedes the feeding position 8a of the terry yarn 11, followed by the feeding position 9a of the terry yarn 11, which is spaced apart from the feeding position 8a. This is the same as in conventional terry knitting. In this embodiment, the feeding position 8b of the ground yarn 10 is the same as the feeding position 8a, while the feeding position 9b of the terry yarn 11 is positioned closer to the feeding position 8b than the feeding position 9a, thereby performing plain knitting. The ground yarn 10 and terry yarn 11 supplied from the feeding positions 8b and 9b are not separated by the ground yarn hooks 13d and terry yarn hooks 13c at the front ends of the sinker 13. Both yarns are hooked to the ground yarn hooks 13d, enabling plain knitting without terry. It should be noted that, in plain knitting, not only the yarn feed positions 8b and 9b can be advanced, but also the yarn feed position 9c of the yarn feed port 9 can advance ahead of the yarn feed position 8c of the yarn feed port 8 within a certain allowable range L. The allowable range L is the range in which neither the ground yarn 10 nor the terry yarn 11 is caught on the terry yarn hook 13c, both are caught on the ground yarn hook 13d, and the needle hook 12a can capture both. Within this allowable range L, either the ground yarn 10 or the terry yarn 11 can advance ahead of the yarn feed ports 8 or 9, and the two can be in phase.

[0072] In this embodiment, the yarn guides at the yarn feed ports 8 and 9 are self-propelled, capable of moving independently of the cam carriage. This facilitates switching between the yarn feed positions 8a and 9a for terry knitting and the yarn feed positions 8b and 9b for plain knitting. The role of the sinker 13 in terry knitting and plain knitting is characterized by positions A and B in the figure. Position A determines the knitting density, where a new stitch is formed by the needle loop hooked on the hook 12a of the knitting needle 12, which has been withdrawn from the needle gap 3 by the pull-in of the stitch cam 28, and the sinker loop received by the tip of the sinker 13. Position B is the re-entry position, where the sinker 13 retracts from the needle gap 3 toward the sinker bed 7 at position C and then re-enters the needle gap 3, pressing the sinker loop. At least during the re-entry at position B, the sinker 13 presses the sinker loop downward toward the needle gap 3, facilitating the transfer of lost stitches below the needle gap 3.

[0073] Figure 3 and Figure 4 Respectively indicate through Figure 2 The action of the sinker 13 at the position A and B is to perform terry knitting and plain knitting. Figure 3 As shown, at the position A that determines the knitting density, the ground yarn 10 and the terry yarn 11 are respectively hung on the ground yarn hanging claw 13d and the terry yarn hanging claw 13c during the terry knitting and separated, and at the same time become the sinking loop of the new stitch 40. Figure 4As shown, at position A, which determines the knitting density, the needle loops forming the new stitch 40 are hooked on both sides by the ground yarn hook 13d during plain knitting, but are not hooked on the terry yarn hook 13c. The needle loops held by the hook 12a before the new stitch 40 is formed become the old stitch 41. When the hook 12a is driven by the casting cam 24 and the scissor cam 25 to enter the needle gap 3 to receive the ground yarn 10 and the terry yarn 11, the needle loops of the old stitch 41 are moved relative to the knitting needle 12, opening the latch 12b and shifting toward the needle bar, where they are unstitched from the hook 12a. As the stitch forming cam 28 pulls the old stitch 41 into the needle 12, it moves relatively toward the needle gap 3, passes over the hook 12a while closing the latch 12b, and is cast off toward the needle gap 3.

[0074] like Figure 2 As shown, at position C between position A that determines the knitting density and position B that re-enters, the sinker 13 temporarily retreats from the tooth opening 3 toward the sinker bed 7. Figure 3 In the terry knitting, the terry yarn 11 stuck on the terry yarn claw 13c detaches from the terry yarn claw 13c and moves to the side of the bottom yarn claw 13d, or also detaches from the bottom yarn claw 13d. If the sinker 13 re-enters from position C, the terry yarn 11 transferred to the bottom yarn claw 13d is pressed to position B in the original hooked state. The temporarily fallen terry yarn 11 also penetrates the re-entering bottom yarn claw 13d and becomes hung on the bottom yarn claw 13, and is pushed to position B. By this pressing, the bottom yarn 10 and the old coil 41 are pressed downwards into the tooth mouth 3. The terry yarn 11 hanging on the bottom yarn claw 13d is detached from the front end of the sinker 13 by the retreat of the sinker 13 after position B and becomes a terry. Figure 4 In the plain knitting shown in FIG. 1 , at position C, both the ground yarn 10 and the terry yarn 11 are separated from the ground yarn hook 13d. Even if they re-enter the position B, they do not remain at the front end of the sinker 13, resulting in a plain knitting loop without forming a terry loop. Figure 4 As shown, the sinker 13 of this embodiment has a pressing portion 13g near the front end. The pressing portion 13g protrudes downward and can press the bottom yarn 10 and the terry yarn 11 on the advance and retreat path toward the tooth gap 3 side by entering the tooth gap 3.

[0075] Figure 5 Indicates the pressing parts 13g and 13h provided on the sinker 13. Figure 1 The entry direction of the tooth opening 3 which is inclined in a descending manner is Figure 4The angle is changed in a manner to become horizontal in the right direction. As shown in (a), the pressing portion 13g is provided at a position at a distance H from the front end of the bottom yarn hanging claw 13d. The pressing portion 13g of this embodiment is in the shape of a step that protrudes while tilting to a height G downward in the figure, but it can also be in other shapes such as a vertical shape, a curved shape, and a hook shape as shown in (b). By providing the pressing portion 13g, when the sinker 13 reaches position B and re-enters the tooth mouth 3, the bottom yarn 10 and the terry yarn 11 on the advance and retreat path can be pressed toward the tooth mouth 3 side. The shape of the pressing portion 13g is selected so as not to interfere with the terry knitting, and sometimes it is different depending on the bottom yarn 10 and the terry yarn 11 used. As shown in (b), if the shape of the pressing portion 13h is set to the hook shape with the bottom 13i being the innermost side, the bottom yarn 10 and the terry yarn 11 on the advance and retreat path will not miss the top of the tooth mouth 3, and can be reliably pressed toward the bottom of the tooth mouth.

[0076] In the terry knitting machine 1 of this embodiment, since the stitch suppressing rod 6 is used on the tooth gap 3 side of the needle bed 2, the upper end of the stitch suppressing rod 6 on the tooth gap 3 side functions as a top tooth 6a, and is bent so that the direction of the knitted fabric connected to the old stitch 41 that has been knocked off is directed downward. Depending on the structure of the needle bed 2, a metal wire or the like that passes through in the longitudinal direction may also serve as a top tooth. Figure 4 As shown in (B), in plain knitting, both the ground yarn 10 and the terry yarn 11 are detached from the ground yarn hook 13d of the sinker 13. Therefore, when plain knitting is performed on a plurality of consecutive horizontal rows of stitches, there is a concern that the needle loop of the old stitch 41 after being unstitched will not pass over the top tooth 6a and will be retained in front of the entry direction of the needle hook 12a. Regarding the retained old stitch 41, when the needle hook 12a rises while entering the tooth mouth 3 in the next knitting action, it will be pushed up by the top of the needle hook 12a or be caught again in the needle hook 12a, resulting in poor knitting. Figure 5 (a) and (b) shown in the press-in portion 13g, 13h, even if the old coil 41 is retained, it can be pressed downwardly into the tooth gap 3 at the re-entry position B to eliminate the retention. Figure 5 The press-fit portion 13g shown in (a) presses down the sinker 13 so as to be positioned below the top teeth 6a by a depth D. Figure 5 The pressing portion 13h shown in (b) presses the sinker 13 downward so that the bottom portion 13i is positioned below the top teeth 6a. Furthermore, the sinker 13 utilizes an advance and retreat that includes a swinging motion, rather than a linear advance and retreat as in this embodiment. Even when performing terry knitting while separating at the front end, the provision of the pressing portion can eliminate the accumulation of old stitches during plain knitting.

[0077] Figure 6The figure shows the appearance of a glove 50 knitted as a sample. The glove 50 is knitted with the same yarn as the base yarn 10 and the terry yarn 11, and has finger sleeves for the thumb 51, index finger 52, middle finger 53, ring finger 54, and little finger 55, a palm 56, and a wrist 57. The thumb 51, index finger 52, and palm 56 are alternately knitted with terry and plain knitting in which two rows of stitches are repeated in the longitudinal direction, forming a concave and convex striped pattern, and an anti-slip effect can also be expected. With plain knitting, since both the base yarn 10 and the terry yarn are knitted, no transition yarn of the terry 11 is produced. All rows of stitches for the middle finger 53, ring finger 54, little finger 55, and wrist 57 are terry knitted, and the stitches are knitted with the same yarn as the base yarn 10 and the terry yarn 11. Figure 2 The rubber cam 22 inserts the rubber thread into the wrist 57. On the back of the hand, the glove 50 can also be knitted with plain stitch mixed with terry, or entirely knitted with terry. Using different yarns for the ground yarn 10 and the terry yarn 11 allows for a variety of glove and sock designs and functions. Mixing plain stitch with terry can also reduce the consumption of the terry yarn 11.

[0078] In this embodiment, the yarn feed port 8 for the ground yarn 10 and the yarn feed port 9 for the terry yarn 11 are independently moved on self-propelled yarn guides, making it easy to switch between different types of terry and plain knitting based on the yarn feed position. This switching can be performed even in the middle of a single course by temporarily stopping the carriage and yarn guide and changing the yarn feed position. To achieve a mixture of terry and plain knitting in the wale direction per course, the yarn feed position can be switched by reversing the travel direction of the carriage and yarn guide at the end of the knitting width. The control unit of the terry knitting flat knitting machine 1 serves as a switching mechanism for controlling the travel of the carriage and yarn guide to switch between terry and plain knitting. Even with a linked type in which the yarn guide moves in conjunction with the carriage, switching between terry and plain knitting is possible by simply switching the linked position of the carriage. However, the linkage position of the carriage based on the cam needs to be set up at two locations for terry knitting and plain knitting, which requires four locations for the reciprocating movement of the cam, and the cam needs to move extra for switching, which reduces the knitting efficiency. When using a linked yarn guide, the control unit of the flat knitting machine that controls the movement of the yarn guide and the switching of the linkage of the yarn guide becomes the switching unit.

[0079] As described above, the terry knitting machine 1 of this embodiment includes a knitting needle 12 that ascends while entering the tooth gap 3, and a sinker 13 that descends while entering the tooth gap 3. The sinker 13 has a ground yarn hook 13d and a terry yarn hook 13c at its front end. The knitting needle 12 catches the ground yarn 10, which is supplied first, and the terry yarn 11, which is supplied later, on the needle hook 12a as they exit the tooth gap 3. During terry knitting, the ground yarn 10 and the terry yarn 11 are separated at the front end of the sinker 13, while sinker loops of the ground yarn 10 and loops of the terry yarn 11 are formed, respectively. Regarding the feeding positions of the ground yarn 10 and the loop yarn 11 above the tooth gap, during terry knitting, the feed port 8 for the ground yarn 10 advances, and the feed port 9 for the terry yarn 11 advances after a gap. In knitting without forming terry loops, the yarn feed port 8 for the ground yarn 10 and the yarn feed port 9 for the loop yarn 11 are switched so that the yarn feed port 9 for the trailing loop yarn 11 is closer to the yarn feed port 9 for the leading ground yarn 10 during terry loop knitting, and is positioned outside the range where the tip of the sinker 13 is separated. In knitting without forming terry loops, the ground yarn 10 and the loop yarn 11 are caught by the hook 12a of the knitting needle 12 to form a needle loop, and then hooked by the ground yarn hooking claw 13d of the sinker 13 to form a sinker loop, thereby enabling plain knitting without forming terry loops.

Claims

1. A flat knitting machine (1) for terry knitting, comprising knitting needles (12) and sinkers (13), wherein the knitting needles (12) are arranged in parallel in the longitudinal direction of a needle bed (2) and advance and retreat in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. When entering a tooth opening (3), the sinkers (13) rise, and advance and retreat relative to the tooth opening (3). The sinker (13) has a bottom yarn hanging claw (13d) and a terry yarn hanging claw (13c) at the front end. While separating the bottom yarn (10) supplied from the yarn feeding port (8) above the tooth mouth (3) and the terry yarn (11) supplied from the yarn feeding port (9) at the front end of the sinker (13), terry knitting is performed, which is characterized in that: The flat knitting machine (1) for terry knitting comprises a switching unit, which switches the positions (8a, 8b, 8c; 9a, 9b, 9c) of the yarn feed ports (8, 9) of the ground yarn (10) and the terry yarn (11) above the tooth opening (3) in the following manner: In the terry knitting process for forming terry loops, the yarn feed port (8) for the base yarn (10) is switched to move ahead, and the yarn feed port (9) for the terry yarn (11) moves behind with a gap; In the case of knitting in which no loops are formed, the yarn feed port (9) of the loop yarn (11) which is to follow the yarn feed port (8) is switched so that the yarn feed port (8, 9) of the preceding ground yarn (10) is close to the yarn feed port (8), and the positions of the yarn feed ports (8, 9) of the ground yarn (10) and the loop yarn (11) are within a range (L) in which the ground yarn (10) and the loop yarn (11) supplied from the yarn feed position are not separated by the ground yarn hanging claw (13d) and the loop yarn hanging claw (13c) at the front end of the sinker (13). The range (L) is a range in which both the ground yarn (10) and the terry yarn (11) are not hooked on the terry yarn hook (13c) but are hooked on the ground yarn hook (13d), and the needle hook (12a) of the knitting needle (12) can catch both. In knitting without forming terry loops, the ground yarn (10) and the terry loop yarn (11) are caught on the needle hook (12a) to form a needle knitting loop, and both the ground yarn (10) and the terry loop yarn (11) are hooked on the ground yarn hanging claw (13d) of the sinker (13) to form a sinker loop, thereby enabling flat needle knitting without terry loops.

2. The flat knitting machine (1) for terry knitting according to claim 1, characterized in that: The knitting needle (12) and the sinker (13) are driven by driving mechanisms (20, 30) in a manner of advancing and retreating relative to the tooth opening (3), respectively. The driving mechanisms (20, 30) are mounted on a triangular seat slide that reciprocates along the longitudinal direction of the needle bed (2). The yarn feeding port (8) for supplying the bottom yarn (10) and the yarn feeding port (9) for supplying the terry yarn (11) are arranged on a self-propelled triangular seat slide, and the self-propelled triangular seat slide moves independently of the reciprocating triangular seat slide and can follow the triangular seat slide.

3. The flat knitting machine (1) for terry knitting according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The sinker (13) has a pressing portion (13g, 13h) near the front end on the tooth mouth (3) side. The pressing portion (13g, 13h) protrudes downward and can press the base yarn (10) and the terry yarn (11) on the advance and retreat path into the tooth mouth (3) by entering the tooth mouth (3).

4. The flat knitting machine (1) for terry knitting according to claim 3, characterized in that: The sinker (13) enters the tooth opening (3) when determining the knitting density, temporarily withdraws from the tooth opening (3) and then enters the tooth opening (3), at least when re-entering, the pressing portion (13g, 13h) enters further below the tooth opening (3) than the position of the top tooth (6a) set on the needle bed (2).

5. A sinker (13) for a flat knitting machine (1) for terry knitting, having a bottom yarn hanging claw (13d) and an upper terry yarn hanging claw (13c) at the front end that moves forward and backward relative to the tooth mouth (3), capable of separating the bottom yarn (10) and the terry yarn (11), characterized in that: There is a pressing portion (13g, 13h) near the front end, and the pressing portion (13g, 13h) is spaced from the front end of the bottom yarn hanging claw (13d) in the direction of exiting from the tooth mouth (3) and protrudes downward. By entering into the tooth mouth (3), the bottom yarn (10) and the terry yarn (11) on the advance and retreat path can be pressed into the tooth mouth (3) side.

6. A terry knitting method in a flat knitting machine, the flat knitting machine comprising a knitting needle (12) which enters a tooth gap (3) while ascending, and a sinker (13) which advances and retreats relative to the tooth gap (3). The front end of the sinker (13) is provided with a bottom yarn hanging claw (13d) and a terry yarn hanging claw (13c). The bottom yarn (10) supplied in advance above the tooth opening (3) and the terry yarn (11) supplied in the rear row are caught by the needle hook (12a) of the knitting needle (12) withdrawn from the tooth opening (3). While separating the bottom yarn (10) and the terry yarn (11) at the front end of the sinker (13), the sinker arc of the bottom yarn (10) and the terry loop of the terry yarn (11) are formed respectively, characterized in that: The feeding positions (8a, 8b, 8c; 9a, 9b, 9c) of the bottom yarn (10) and the terry yarn (11) above the tooth opening (3) are switched as follows: In the terry knitting process for forming terry loops, the yarn feed port (8) of the base yarn (10) is switched first, and the yarn feed port (9) of the terry loops (11) is switched later with a gap. In the knitting process in which no loops are formed, the yarn feeding port (9) of the loop yarn (11) which is to follow the yarn feeding port (8) is switched so that the yarn feeding port (8, 9) of the preceding bottom yarn (10) is close to the yarn feeding port (8) of the preceding bottom yarn (10), and the positions of the yarn feeding ports (8, 9) of the bottom yarn (10) and the loop yarn (11) are within a range (L) in which the bottom yarn (10) and the loop yarn (11) supplied from the yarn feeding position are not separated by the bottom yarn hanging claw (13d) and the loop yarn hanging claw (13c) at the front end of the sinker (13). The range (L) is a range in which both the ground yarn (10) and the terry yarn (11) are not hooked on the terry yarn hook (13c) but are hooked on the ground yarn hook (13d), and the needle hook (12a) of the knitting needle (12) can catch both. In knitting without forming loops, the ground yarn (10) and the loops (11) are caught on the needle hook (12a) to form a needle knitting loop, and both the ground yarn (10) and the loops (11) are hooked on the ground yarn hanging claw (13d) of the sinker (13) to form a sinker loop, thereby enabling flat needle knitting without loops.

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